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CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(Monographs) 


^ 


ICMH 

Collection  de 
inicrofiches 
(monographles) 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  IMicroraproductiona  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  hiatoriquaa 


Ttchnical  and  Bibliographic  Notas  /  Notn  tachniquat  at  bibliographiqu 


Tha  Instituta  hai  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast  original 
copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturai  of  this  copy  which 
may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua,  which  may  altar  any 
of  tha  imagas  in  tha  raproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  changa  tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara 
chackad  balow. 


□  Colourad  covars/ 
Couvertura  da  coulaur 


I       I  Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagia 


□  Covers  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastauria  at/ou  palliculfa 


□  Covar  titia  missing/ 
La 


titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

lourad  maps/ 
Cartas  giographiquas  an  coulaur 


I        I  Colourad  maps/ 

n 


Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


0  Colourad  platas  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planchas  at/ou  illustrations  an  coulaur 


n 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Ralit  avac  d'autras  documents 


□  Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  raliura  sarria  paut  causar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
distorsion  la  long  da  la  marga  intiriaura 

□  Blank  leavas  addad  during  rastoration  may  appear 
within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  possible,  these  have 
been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxta, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  «tait  poMiMa.  cas  pages  n'ont 
pas  M  filmtes. 


L'lnstitut«  mh;rofilm«  le  nMilieur  exemplaire  qu'il-, 
Jui  a  «t«  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d«tails  da'cet 
exemplaire  qui  sont  peuf-4tre  uniques  du  point  de  vue 
bibliographkiua,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image 
reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification ' 
dans  la  mfthode  normale  de  f  ilmaga  sont  indiquis 
ci-dessous.  ^  j. 

□  Coloured  pages/  ' 
Pages  de  eouleur 

□  Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagtes 

□  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/       , 
Pages  restaurieset/ou  pelliCMltes 

0  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dteolories,  tacheties  ou  piquies 

□  t>ages  detached/ 
Pages  d«tach«e* 

0Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


□  Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  inigala  de  I'impression 

□  Continuous  pagination/ 
Pagination  continue 

□  Includes  index(es)/ 
Comprend  un  (des)  index 

Title  on  header  taken  from:/ 
Le  titre  de  I'en-tAte  provient: 

□  Tltli  page  of  issue/ 
Page  de  titre  de  la  livraison 

□  Caption  of  issue/ 
Titre  de  depart  de  la  livraison 

□  Masthead/ 
Gtoirkiua  (p4riodiques)  de  la  livraison 


Th« 
tot 


Thi 
poa 
of  1 
filiT 


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beg 
the 
sior 
othi 
first 
sior 
oril 


•^ 


SAdditkmal  comments:/ 
Commentaires  -suppl  toantaires: 


PagM  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata  slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to  ensure 
the  best  posslile  image.    Wrinkled  pages  auy  fll,  slightly  out  of  focus. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ca  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqui  ci-dessoi^"' 
lOX  UX  •    18X 


The 
shal 
TINI 
whii 


Mai: 
diffi 
entli 
beg! 
righi 
requ 
metl 


22X 


m 


x^ 


12X 


1«X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


..*!.- 


refilmed  to  amura 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Harold  Campball  Vaugfisn  Mamorial  Library 
Acadia  Univarsity 

The  images  appearing  her^  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  cppies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with'  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  *-»>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (hieaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratfoft.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
begini^ing  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  ind  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


./ 


1 

2 

■  •;■  » 

L'exemplaire  film«  f ut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAn6rosit6  de: 

Harold  Campball  Vaughan  Mamorial  Library 
Acadia  Univarsity  . 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  «t«  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soiri.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at' 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film«.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  condition^  du  contrat  de 
f  ilmage. 

Les  exeinplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  filmte  en  coTnmen9ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
dTmpression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  secondl 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'imiJression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  appara?tra  sur  la 
dernldre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — »►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film«s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff«rento. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  ii  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
etxie  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


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^K    TUB 


\    '■■  f 


ILA.\T1C  TELEGRAPH. 


BY 


FIELD,  D.D. 


I  ; 


deienre  It, 
ADDiaoi'a  Oiia 


AcconTi  C^ftfon. 


l«»t 


'■*»"»»*., 


.  ij,*|jt,  ,  ^    ,  vii' ' 


',-*»  .twl*^: 


HISTORy 


v"'" 


or  THk 


ITLINTIC  TELEGKAPH. 


BT 


HEJfRY  M.  FIELD,  D.D. 


Ml     ■■^ 


ft*  not  In  mort&U  to  command  Boeceu ; 

But  we'U  do  more,  Sempronlus— we'U  dMerre  li 


Secont  surtron. 


W: 


NEW-YORK: 
</  1867. 


1  .-i^^^";>,'t 


A»       .»    .iA 


'^ 


^-TW^I  i-f-'-^?2SW' 


•e^f  I 


k 


''n 


- 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  th«  year  1866,  by  Hknbt  M.  Field,  In  the 
Olerk'd  Office  of  the  Dbtriot  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New-York. 


;::"Ts^ 


i 


B 


-4  K 


^^Q.11 


.  '^.^._ 


(m 


H 


In  the 
)l8tii«t 


PREFACE. 


Mankind  worship  success  but  think  too  little  of 
the  means  by  which  it  is  attained.    What  toil  and 
patience  have  gqne  before ;  what  dajs  and  nights  of 
watching  and  weariness ;  how  often  hope  deferred  has 
made  the  heart  sick ;  how  year  after  year  has  dragged 
on,  and  seen  the  end  still  afar  off— all  that  gjgits  for 
little,  if  the  long  struggle  do  not  close  in^ctoiy. 
And  yet  in  the  history  of  human  achievements,  it  is 
necessary  to  trace  these  begiijaings  step  by  step,  if  we 
would  learn  the  lesson  they  teach,  that  it  is  only 
out  of  hepic  patience  and  perseverance  that  any 
thing  truly, great  is  bom.  \ 

The  object  of  this  volume  is  to  record  the  history 
of  a  great  enterprise,  which,  after  many  disappoint- 
nients,  seems  at  last  to  have  touched  its  hoiir  of  tri- 
umph. It  is  a  work  whic|i  has  cost  its  projector  twelve 
years  of  constant  toil,  and  more  than  fifty  voyages, 


of  WhicF  two  thirds  have  been  across  the  Atlantic, 


iS\  * 


y'-TM 


%  'i  7.^  '3 


m 


^ 


t. 


.^.' 


^ 

¥• 


IV 


PBEFACE. 


and  the  rest  to  Newfoundland ;  and  wHcli  has  been 
pursued  in  the  face  of  a  thousand  difficulties,  and, 
what  Was  harder  still,  of  a  public  incredulity,  which 
sneered  at  every  failure,  and  derided  the  attempt  aa 
a  delusion  and  a  dream.  Agdinst  such  discourage- 
.ments  nothing  could  avail  but  that  faith,  or  fanaticism, 
which,  believing  the  incredible,  achieves  the  impos- 
sible. .  The  story  of  such  a,]*  ^enterprise  deserves  to 

'■*■•■  lilt 

,bc  told.  The  relation >of -th'^'writer  to' the  principal 
actor  in  this  work,  has  given  him  fteculiar  facilities 
for  obtaining  information  on  all  points  necessary  to 
an  authentic  history ;  but  he  trusts  it  will  not  lead 
him  to  overstep  the  strictest  limits  of  \modesty.  His 
object  is  not  to  exalt  an  individual,  but  to  give  a 
faithful  record,  that  shall  bear  in  every  line  the  stamp 
of  truth;  and  to  do  justice  to  aZZ,  on  boti^  sides  the^ 
Atlantic,  who  have  borne  a  part  in  a  work  which  will 
do  so  much  to  link  together  two  great  nationk  and  to 
promote  the  peaceful  intercourse  of  mankind. 

■  New- York,  April,  1867. 


i 


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^-x  -r^ 


OOIi^TENTS. 


"•    '■:... 


•  •* 


CHAPTER   I.  " 

Discovert  o»  tub  New  World,  bt  Coluubvs.  Relatitb  Posinoii 
OF  THE  TWO  IIehisfheres.  Neabkst  Foints — The  OcTLTDra  Is- 
LANDS,  Ireland  and  NswrocNDLAND.  First  Suogestion  of  a 
shorter  Wat  to  Europk  .  Letter,  of  Bishop  Mcllook.  The 
Electric  Telegraph  Goxpant  of  Newfoundland.  Labors  or  Mr. 
F.^N.  GisBORNE.-  Failure  of  the  Compant. 

.CHAPTER   a 

Mr.'  Qisborne  comes  to 'New-York.'.  Is  nrrRopucED  to  Ctrus  W. 
Field;  who''conceiti3  th^;  Idea^of  a  Tkleqraph  across  the  At- 
lantic Ocean.  Is  it  Practticable  ?  Two  E{Aubnts  to  be  uasterbd, 
THE  Sea  and  the  Liohtning.  Inquiries  addressed  to  Lieutenant 
Maurt  and  Professor  MbRSE.  Answer  of  Lieutenant  Maurt. 
Yisit'of  PROFESSgj^JIqRfflC"  Mb.  ;Field  deixiuunes  to  xubaiuc  in 

"  mB''UNDEETAKINMH|P' 

*  ^       CHAPTER   IIL: 

Efforts  to  engage  Capitalists  in  the  ENrmpaisx.  Peter  Cooper, 
Moses  Tatlor,  Marshall  0.  Roberts,  and  Chanihjek  White.  Coh- 
missionJbbnt!  to  Newfoundland..  ■  Thxt  obtain  a  new  Charter 
fob  the  ^ew-York,  Newfoundlaio),  and  London  Telegraph  Coh- 
PANT.     Return  to  -  New-York.     The  Charter,  is  AGOEFTm>,-TBi' 

.  'Compant  obganizid,  aKd  'the'  Capital  raised. 

CHAPTER  IV.  " 

The  Lamd-Link'Sbxqun  in  Newfoundland.  Iuhx^  Undertaking. 
Fovs  HuNOBiD  Miles  of  Road  to  be  built.  Two  Years  of  Labor. 
First  Attemft  to  lay  a  Cable  across  the  Oulf  of  St.  Lawbxmob, 
b  1855.    Vailcbs.    Secosd  Attxvpt,  ih  1866,  which  is  SUOdSI* 


-Ml« 


-fl^ :- 


-'.  . 


\ 


I- 


^fi^%i«l.>> 


r-m;::  H . 


tv 


vi 


contents    v 
chaA-er  v/ 


*M   I>«i^S«*  SotWDiNoa.     Tm  Old   Mrr«J'        »  ^ 

•0»  TH,  DoLPHix  IX  iwTw        ^"''r^'  Bkook^    c.n,8. 

•   <>'-Ba.«HN'^^;„.%'lr,;^s^;""r-^^' 

,  F-m..  SVB.^  Mocxx..  o„  J^S;,  ^llri"™" 

;  CHAPTER    VI 

BWORB  Tin  British  Publio     f^  Entkrpbim   bbowht 

Cabia.  *^  *"  DiMoroBa.    CoNTaAor  w»  t^     , 

„  '    ■     ,  •    •  \-. 

CHAPTER   VII.  ^         ' 

»s^  .^TUBtra    AND    00K8    TO.   WAfllTTN<iThu   'mjr  .T 

. '  «  '         „■».■,  ,  ■   '  ■ 

CHAPTER   Vm. 

'  CHAPTER   Ti 

*>n.i*AmiiB  MB  A  Skoow,  EntoiTiow     »r„  liw 
^»-u.  Ma^.o».  o,  J^™"    ^  ^  -  -»•  n« 

P^TOtOUT  Mach^,.      Th.   VA,n»  ^""    ^    "■/ 

aQCADEON  AtoOiBI*  AT    PtTMOWH.     f^T  «, 


N 


1 


/ 


^f^^^^^i  :^J*,-!»i.  6.^ '    V  *  *- »  ,- 1.  >-y  li^tji^-,,^ 


7' If'' 


-Wf 


N 


V 


CONTENTS. 


t'ii 


BKCvo  Foc^«^S!)^     Thk  Cable  loht  Thh*.  tImks/.  iV^s"  ,p8 

ABANDON   TH«   PeO^BCT  ?      OnK   MORS   TbIAL.    '  «""<  .  ™BY 


.M  .  .  CHAPTER  X. 

Thk  8„,P8  8,,,  ON  A  Second  Expedition.     Thet  meet  in  MiD-ok. 
S^,E..u.  VovAOE.     Ca^.  .,,„,,  ,,  ,„,,,^  ^^„  ^  J^«^«- 


.'*' 


,y  ' 


CHAPTER  XL 

•.  --  ,     V   "      '  ■ 

Ni^rs  0^  THE   SrccESB.     Great  Excitement   in  Ame»ca   '^PophA. 
Enthcsiasm.    CebrationIn  NE..YORK  .nd  iZ  c'fii 


CHAPTER  Xn. 


ix.  wKr  °^^"  >""■  '^■' ""  «'r  "-■-"". 


/' 


CHAPTER  Xm 


Unconditional  G.ahantee.    fI^'^ZI  TT  ^  °^"'  ^^ 

SciENTmc  .J5xP«tIMENT«.        CaB^^^;  T   ^^   ^^  ^'^*"'^-"- 
AND     THE     l>ER8dN     Gdl*        vZ^  ""     MeDITEBRANKAN  ■ 

Umm,  .States  LTeso^'^::^^^^'^"^'   '^^^ 
Pit.  Y^Aaa.-       '  '  ^  Hibtobt  o»  th«  mar 


')\ 


c 

CHAPTER  XIV.. 


•u 


S««fei:5ji,feWii  - 


,  .  \ 


t"^'.j3^- 


0-' 


r^. 


i  1 


!t,i 


'4 


vm 


C0NTENT8^ 

/ 


CHAPTER  ^. 
Rkscli  of  thx  expedition  9r  1866. ;  Gontioxnci  stronoxr  tham 

KTKR.  IHSTANT  RkSOLTB  TO  RAISE  T^C  BrOKKN  END  OT  TBK^CaBLE, 
to    COHPLKTB    it    to    NEWyOlTNDLAND,'   AND    TO    LAT    ANOTHSR    LlIW. 

New  S^Ubks  istirKD.  Method  de(h,aiied  unauthobized  bt  Law. 
FoRitATiON  or  THE  Anolo-Auebican  Telegraph  Coufant.  Capital 
RAISED.  New  Cable  made  and  shipped  on  Board  the  Grxas 
Eastern.  ^ 


CHAPTER.  XVI. 
The  Expedition  or  1866.     Ikuense  Preparations.     Relioioxtb  Sert- 
10E  at  Yalentla.    Sailing  or  the  Fleet.    Diart  or  the  Yotaob. 
Cable  Landed  at  Heart's  Content. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 
The  Ships  Return  to  Hn> -"Ocean  to  Search  ros  tbx  Cablb  lost 
THE  Year  beiorx.  Mode  or  Draooino  in  the  Deep  Sea.  Be- 
prated  Attehpts  and  Failures.  Orapnbl  cast  tbirtt  times. 
Cable  pihallt  Reootered  and  Oompi.eted  to  Nswroinn>LAMi>. 
Conclusion. 


^f  J 


APPENDIX. 
Honors  Contebbxd  in  ENaLum  ahd  Axerku. 


.     1 


.     .^  liJli^^U      ^    U&L^ 


- 


fi" 


S    TEAM 

i^Cable, 
R  Lnw. 
IT  Law. 
Cafital 
I  Gbsax 


\ 


'B  Snr- 

STOTAOI. 


IL*  LOST 

A.    Bx- 

TIUXS. 

RDLAMD. 


^t    i 


I   1> 


♦I 


? 
A 


;  'n' 


„,,.^,4j^»^?|t^  1^1^' '■'*' 


# 


BISTORT  Of  THf  ITLMTIC  TEEEGMPH. 


ii^-  ««« 


CHAPTER     I. 

DisooyxBT  o»  iH»  Nkw  World,  bt  Golttiibus.  Rilatitx  Posmow  or 
TBI  Tiro  HxiasFHBRxa.  Nkabkst  P01MT8 — ^Tbs  OuTLTura  Isi>aiid8, 
Irxlamd  abd  NcwTOUNDLAin).  First  Scqoisiion  or  a  SHoiitoDi  wat 
TO  EuROFS.  LxRiB  Of  BisHOP  HcLLOOK  Thk  Elkotrio  Tkliorafb 

GOHPAST    or    NlWTOVHDLAKD.       LaBOBS   Or  Mb.   F.   N.   p^IflBOBHX. 

FaILCBS  or  TBX  OOUPANT. 

t 

"Whbn  Columbus  sailed  from  the  shores  of  Spain, 
it  was  not  in  search  of  a  New  World,  but  only  to  find 
a  nearer  path  to  the  East.  He  sought  a  western  pas- 
sage to  India.  He  had  come  to  the  belief  that  the 
earth  was  round ;  but  he  did  not  once  dream  of  another 
continent  than  the  three  which  had  been  the  ancient 
abodes  of  the  human  race— Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa. 
All  the  rest  w|is  "  the  ff^eat  deep."  Hence  he  believed 
that  he  could  sfdl  direct  from  Spain  to  India;  that  over 
that  space,  covering,  as  he  then  supposed,  one  third  of 
the  round  globe,  the  billows  rolled  without  a  shore. 
Ko  undiscovered  oontmcNar»isted  iven  tirt^rli^^ 


0 


^'t' 


^'i-'^ixm 


X 


'M' 


.  *  ^,    -  -^-... 


t^^ 


.s«^t^ 


10         HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

ation.    Nay,  after  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and 
descried  the  green  woods  of  San  Salvador  rising  out 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  he  thought  he  saw  before  him 
one  of  the  islands  of  the  Asiatic  coast,    Cuba  he  be- 
lieved was  a  part  of  the  mainland  of  India ;  Hajti  was 
the  Ophir  of  King  Solomon ;  and  when,  on  a  later 
voyag0,  he  came  to  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
and  saw  it  pouring  its  mighty  flood  into  the  Atlantic, 
he  rejoiced  that  he  had  found  the  great  river  Gihon, 
which  had  its  rise  in  the  garden  of  Eden  I     Even  to 
the  hour  of  his  death,  he  remained  ignorant  of  the  real' 
extent  of  his  magnificent  discovery.    It  was  reserved 
to  later  times  to  lift  the  curtain  fully  from  the  world 
of  waters ;  to  reveal  the  true  magnitijde  of  the  globe  • 
and  to  unite  the  distant  hemispheres  by  ties  such  as 
the  great  discoverer  never  knew. 

It  is  hard  to  imagine  the  darkness  and  the  terror 
which  then  hung  over  the  face  of  the  deep.  The 
ocean  to  the  west  was  a  Mare  Tenebrosum-^a  Sea  of 
Dirkness,  into  which  the^  boldest  voyagers  feared  to 
venture.  Columbus  was  the  most  daring  navigator  of 
his  time.  He  had  made  voyages  to  the  Western  Isl- 
ands, to  Madeira  and  the  Canaries,  to  Iceland  on  the 
north,  and  to  the  Portuguese  settlements  in  Africa. 
But  when  he  came  to  cross  the  sea,  he  had  to  grope 
his  way  almost  blindly.  But  a  few  rays  of  knowledge 
glimmered,  like  stars,  on  the  pathless  waters.    Hencg^ 


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HISTOET  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.         11 

-  when  he  sailed  on  his  voyage  of  discovery,  he  direct- 
ed his  course,  not  west,  but  south.  A  chart,  made  by 
the  eminent  Italian  geographer  Toscanelli,  represented 
the  eastern  coast  of  Asia  as  lying  opposite  to  the  west- 
ern  coast  of  Africa.     Hence  Columbus  first  sailed  along 

'  the  latter  as  far  as  the  Canary  Islands,  and  thence  bore 
away  for  India  I 

From  this  route  taken  by  the  great  navigator,  he 
crossed  the  ocean  in  its  widest  part.  Had  he,  instead, 
followed  the  track  of  the  Northmen,  who  crept  around 
from  Iceland  to  Greenland  and  Labrador ;  or  had  he 
sailed  straight  to  the  Azores,  and  then  borne  away  to 
the  north-west,  he  would  much  sooner  have  descried 
land  from  the  mast-head.  But  steering  in  darkness  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  where  *it  is  broadest  and  deepest; 
where,  as  submarine  explorers  have  since  shown,  it 
rolls  over  mountains,  lofty  as  the  Alps  and  the  Him- 
malehs,  which  lie  buried  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
deep.  But  farther  north  the  two  continents,  so  widely 
sundered,  incline  toward  each  other,  till  the  bold  head- 
lands of  Newfoundland  stand  over  against  those  of  Ire- 
land, even  as  the  white  chalk  cliffs  of  England  gleam 
across  the  Channel  from  France. 

As  the  island  of  Newpoundland  is  to  stand  in  the 
foreground  of  this  history,  it  is  in  place  here  to  speak 
of  its  geographical  position  and  its  importance.  It 
holds  the  same  relation  to  Ame 


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12         HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

to  Europe.  .  Stretching  far  out  into  the  Atlantic,  it  ia 
the- vanguard  of  the  ^f^stern  continent,  or  rather  the 
signal-tojyer  from  which ;  the  New '  "World  maj  speak 
to  the  Old/  ■     " 

Nor  is  it  without  othe^  claims  ioJaiportance,  which 
ought  to  be  recognized.'  *^.In  extent,  it  is  equal  to  Eng- 
land.   Is  it  not  surprising  that  an  island  large  enough 
for  a  kingdom,  lying  off  our  own  coast,'  should  be  so 
little  known  ?    And  yet  the  reason  is  obvious.    It  lies 
out' of  the  track  of  European' commerce.'  -Our  ships, 
though  they  skirt  the'Banks  of  Newfoundland,  pass  a 
few  leagues  to'  the  south,  and  get  only  a  distant  glimpse 
of  its  rocky  shores.   Even  what  is  seen  gives  the  coun- 
trr  rather  an  ill  reputation.  ■    It  has  a  rock-bound 
coasl^  around  which  hang  perpetual  fogs  and  mists, 
through  which    great  icebergs,  breaking  from    the 
Northern  Sea,  drift  slowly  down,  like  huge  phantoms 
of  the  deep,  gliding  away  to  be  dissolved  by  the  warm 
breath"  of  the  Gulf  Stream.    The  remembrance  of 
these  chilling  fogs  and  threatening  icebergs  makes  the 
•^oyager  shiver  as  he  recalls  that  dangerous  coast. 

Sailing  west  from  Cape  Eace,  and  making  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  island  as  for  a3  the  Straita  of  Belle  Isle, 
one  is  often  reminded  of  the  most  northern  peninsula 
of  Europe.  The  rpcky  shores  are  indented  with  nu- 
merous bays,  readiing  far  up  into  the  land,  like  the 
fiorda  along  the  coast  of  Norway ;  while  the  large 


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HISTpRY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.         13 

herds  of  Criribou  deer,  that  are  seen  feeding  on  the 
hills,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  the  flocks  of  rein- 
deer  that  browse  on  the  paUure^  and  drink  of  the 
mountain  torrents  of  ancient  Scandinavia. 

The  interibr  of  the  island  is  little  known.    It  is  un- 
inhabited and  almost  hnexplored.    It  is  a  boundles^ 
waste  of  rock  and  moor,  where  vast  forests  stretch  out 
their  unbroken  solitudes,  and  the  wild  bird  uttera  its 
lonely  cry.  ■  Bears  ^d  wolves  roam  on  the  mountains. 
Especially  common  is' the  large  and  fierce  black  wolf  ; 
while'of  the  smaller  ammaTs,  whose  skins  furnish  ma- 
terial for  ■  the  -  fur-trade,  -such  as  martins  and^'foxes, 
there  k' the  greatest  abundance/-  But  from  alj  pesta  of 
the  serpent  tribe,' ITewfoundland  is  as  free  as  Ireland,' 
which  was  deUvered  by  the  prayers  of  St  Patrick' 
There  is  .not  a  snake'  or  a  frog'  or  a  lotad  in  tl§ 
island  I         ^ 

Yet,  even  in  this  ruggedness  of  nature,  there  is  a 
wild  beauty,  which  only  needs  to  be' "  clothed  upon " 
by  the  hand  of  man.  '  Newfoundland,  in  many  of  its 
features,  is  iiot  unUke  Scotland,  even  in  its  most  deso- 
late portion's,  where  vast  fields'  of  rock,  covered  with 
thick  moss;  remind  the  emigrant  Scot  of  the  heather 
on  his  native  moors.  '  In  the  interior  are  lakes  as  long 
as  Loch  Lomond,'  and  mountains  as  lofty  as  Ben  Lo- 
niond  and  Ben  Nevis.  There  are  passes  as  wild  as 
the  vale  of  Glericoe,  whinTi  Vqakfl  our  ffwl  thnt.  ho  io  in 


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14         HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.    ' 

the  heart  of  the  Highlands,  while  the  roar  of  the  tor« 
rents  yet  more  vividly  recalls  the  <    . 

Land  of  the  brown  heath  and  shaggy  wood, 
Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood. 

Yet  in  all  this  there  is  nothing  to  repel  human  habit- 
ation. By  the  hand  of  industry,  these  wild  moors 
might  be  transformed  into  fruitful  fields.  We  think 
it  a  very  cold  country,  where  winter  reigns  over  half 
the  year,  as  in  Greenland ;  yet  it  is  not  so/ar  north  as 
Scotland,  nor  is  its  climate  more  inhospitable.  It  only 
needs  the  same  population,  the  same  hardy  toil;  and 
the  same  verdure  would  creep  up  its  hill-sides,  which 
now  makes  green  and  beautiful  the  loneliest  of  Scottish 
glens. 

But  at  present  the  country  is  a  terra  incognita.  In 
the  unterior,  there  are  no  towns,  and  no  roads.  As 
yet,  almost  the  whole  wealth  of  the  island  is  drawn 
from  the  sea.  Its  chief  trade  is  its  fisheries,  and  the 
only  places  of  importance  are  a  few  small  towns, 
chiefly  on  the  eastern  side,  which  have  grown  up 
around  tiie  trading  posts.  Besides  these,  the  only  set- 
tlements are  the  fishermen's  huts  scattered  along  the 
coast.  Hence  the  bishop  of  the  island,  when  he  . 
Would  make  his  annual  visit  to  his  scattered  "flock,  is 
obliged  to  sail  around  his  diocese  in  his  private  yacht, 
sipoe  even  on  horseback  it  would  not  be  possible  to 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  T"bLEGBAPH.         15 


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make  his  way  through  the  dense  forests  to  tHe  remote 
parts  of  the  island.  Indeed,  it  was  this  circumstance 
that  first  suggested  the  idea  of  cutting  across^the  island 
a  nearer  way,  not  only  for  the  people  themselves,  but 
for  communication  between  Europe  and  America. 

It  was  in  one  oif  these  excursions  around  the  coast 
that  the  good  Bishop  Mullock,  the  head  of  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church  in  Newfoundland,  when  Visiting  the 
western  portion  of  his  diocese,  lying  one  day  becalmed 
in  his  yacht,  in  sight  of  Cape  North,  the  extreme  point 
of  the  province  of  Cape  Breton,  bethought  himself 
how  his  poor  neglected  island  might  be  benefited  by    - 
being  taken  into  the  track  of  communication  between 
Europe  and  America.    He  saw  how  nature  had  pro- 
vided an  easy  approach  to  the  mainland  on  the  west. 
About  sixty  miles  from  Cape.  Bay  stretched  the  long 
island  of -Cape  Breton,  while,  as  a  stepping-stone,  the 
little  island  of  St.  Paul's  lay  between.    So  much  did 
it  weigh  upon  his  mind  that,  as  soon  as  he  got  back  to 
,  St.  John*s,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  the  papers  on;*^ 
the  subject    .As  this  is  the  first  suggestion  that  I  have 
found  of  a  telegraph  across  Newfoundland,  I  here  give 
his  letter  in  full : 

To  tha  Editor  of  the  Gourier: 

Sir  :  I  regret  to  find  that,  in  every  plan  for  trans- 
atlantio  communication,  Halifax  is  always  menti( 


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16         HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTid  TELEQEAFH. 

-    aod  tha  oatural  capabilities  of  Newfoundland  entirely 
overlooked.    This  has  been  deeply  impressed  on  my 
mind  by  the  communication  I  read  in  your  paper  of 
Saturday  last,  regarding  telegraphic  communication 
between  England  and  Ireland,  in  which  it  is  said  that 
the  nearest  telegraphic  station  on  the  American  side  is 
Halifax,  twenty-one  hundred  and  fifty-five  miles  from 
the  wesfrof  Ireland.    Now  would  it  not  be  well  to 
call  the  attention  of  England  and  America  to  the  ex- 
traordinary capabilities  of  St.  John's,  as  the  nearest 
telegraphic  point?    It  is  an  Atlantic  port^  lying,  I 
may  say,  in  the  track  of  the  ocean  steamers,  and  by 
establishing  it  as  the  American  telegraphic  station, 
news  could  be  communicated  to  the  whole  American 
continent  forty-eight  hours,  at  hast,  sooner  than  by 
,  any  other  route.    But  how  will  this  be  accomplished  ? 
Just  look  at  the  map  of  Newfoundland  and  Cape  Bre- 
ton.   From  St.  John's  to  Cape  Bay  there  is  no  difla- 
culty  in  establishing  a  line  passing  near  Holy-Rood 
along  the  tieck  of  land  connecting  Trinity  and  Placen- 
tia  Bays,  and  thence  in  a  direction  due  west  to  the 
Cape.    You  have  then  about  forty-one  to  forty-five 
miles  of  sea  to  St  Paul's  Island,  with  deep  soundings 
of  one  hundred  fathoms,  so  that  the  electric  cable  will 
be  perfectly  safe  from  icebergs.   Thence  to  Cape  North, 
in  Cape  Breton,  is  little  more  than  twelve  miles.    Thus 
it  is  not  only  practicable  to  bring  America  two  days 


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HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPH.         17 


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nearer  to  Europe  by  this  route,  but  should  the  tele- 
graphic communication  between  England  and  Ireland, 
-suEty-twQ  miles,  be  realized,  it  presents  not  the  least 
.   difficulty.    Of  course,  we  in  Newfoundland  wilt  hav^. 
nothing  to  do  with  the  erection,  working,  and  main- 
tenance of  the  telegraph ;  but  I  suppose  our  Govern- 
ment will  give  every  facUity  to  the  company,  either 
English  or  American,  who  will  undertake  it,  as  it  will 
be  an  incalculable  advantage  to  this  country.    I  hope 
the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  St.  John's  will  be  the 
first  link  in  the  electric  chaip  which  will  unite  the  Old 
World  and  the  New.  j^  rp.  M. 

St.  John's,  November  8, 1850. 

This  suggestion  proved  to  be  seed  sown  on  good 
ground,  since  out  of  it  in  a  great  measure  sprang  the 
first  attempt  to  link  the  Island  of  Newfoundland  with 
the  mainland  of  America.  For  about  the  ^e  time, 
the  attention  of  Mr.  Frederick  N.  Gisbome,  a  tele^ 
graph  operator,  was  attracted  to  a  similar  project 
Being  a  man  of  great  quickness  of  mind,  he  instantly 
saw  the  importance  of  such  a  work,  and  took  hold  of 
it  with  enthusiasm.  It  might  easily  occur  to  him 
without  suggestion  ftom  any  source.     He  had  had  v    i 

much  experience  in  telegraphs,  and  was  then  en-  ^^ 

gaged  in  constructing  a  telegraph  line  in  Nova-Scotia. 
Whether,  therefore,  the  idea  was  first  with  him  or  with. 


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18 


HISTORF  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPIT. 


^e  bishop,  IS  of  little  consequence.  It  might  occur  at 
the  same  ti^ie  to  two  inteUigent  minds,  studying  the 
pubhc  good,  and  be  alike  honorable  to  both. 

But  having  taken  hold  of  this  idea,  Mr.  Giaborne 
pun^ued.it  with  indomitable  resolution.  As  the  la- 
bcTrs  of  this  gentleman  were  most  important  in  the 
begmning  of  this  work,  I  am  happy  to  bear  the  fullest 
testimony  to  his  zeal  and  energy.  For  this  purpose,  1 1 
quote  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  R  M:  Archibald 
-«ow  B?itist_£Jan_8]d  at  New-York,  and  formerly  At^ 

tomey-General  of  Newfoundlandr^^-—  -  ^,  

"It  was  during  the  winter  of  1849-60,  that  Mr 
,a.sborne,  who  had  been,  aa  an  engineer,  Vgaged  in 
extendmg  the  electric  t^legmph  through  LowerCan- 
ada  and  New-Brunswick  to  Hali&x,  Nova  Scotia,  con- 
ceived ihe  project  5f  a  telegraph  to  connect  St.  John's, 
the  most  easterly  port  of  America,  with  tl^  main  con- 
tinent   The  importance  of  the  geographical  position 
of  Newfoundland,  in  the  event  of  a  telegraph  ever  be- 
ing carried  across  the  Atlafi^o,  was  about  the  same    ' 
tmae  promulgated  b>  d/.  MuUock,  the  Eoman  Catho- 
lic Bishop  of  Newfoundland,  in  a  St.  John's  news- 
paper. 

"In.  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  (1861,)'MrJ 
Giabome  visited  NewToutidland,  appeared  before  the 
legislature,  then  in  session,  and  explained  the  details     ^ 
of  his  plan,  which  was  an  JVerland  line  from  St  JohnV 


_,„  -  -^^ 


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HISTOBr  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH*..       19 

to  Cape  Raj,  nearly  four  hiindre<l  mUea  in  length]^, 
and  (the  submariije  cable  between  Dover  and  Qalais 
not  having  then  been  laid)  a  communication  between 
Cape  Eay  and  Cape  Breton  by  steamer  and  carrier- 
^p%eons,  eventually,  it  was  hoped,  by  a  subm^e  cable 
across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  ^he  Legislature  en- 
couraged the  projeat,  granted  £500  sterling  to  enable 
Mr.  Gisbome  to  make  an  exploratory  survey  of  the  pro- 
posed'^line  tq.  Cape  Ray,  and  passed  an  act  authorizing 
its  construction,  with  certain  privacies,  and  the  ap- 
^point^ent  of  commissioners  for  the  pujfpose  of  carrying 
it  out.    tJpon  this,  Mr;  Gisborne,  whb  was  then  the 
chiefoAcerof  the  Nova  Se<rtia  Telegraph  Company, 
returned  to  that  province,  resigned  liis  situation,  and 
devoted,  himself  to  the  project  of  the  Newfoundland 
telegraph.    Having  organized  a  loj5al  company  for  the 
purpose  of  constructing  the  first  telegraph  line  in  the 
island,  from  St.  John's  to  Carbonear,  a  distance  of  sixty 
miles,  he,  oi^  the  fourth  of  September,  Wout  upon 
the  a^uous  expedition  of  a  survey  of  the  proposed 
line  to  Cape  Ray,  which  occupied  upward  of  three 
months,  during  which  time  himself  and  his  party  suf- 
fered severe  privations,  and  narrowly  escaped  starva- 
tion, having  to  traverse  the  most  rugged  and  hitherto  ' 
unexplored  part  of  the  island.*    On  his  return,  hav- 

•  "Oothefourthdayof  December.IaccompUshedthesumythiough 
three  hunflrtd  and  fifty  mil«|  of  wood  Mri  »jidi»rai.M^    rt^^ 


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20 


HBTOBY  OF  THK   ATLANTIC  TELEORAPfl. 


ingreportedto  theLegialaturefavorabljof  the  project 
and  famished  estimates  of  the  cost^  he  determined  tJ 
proceed  to  New-York,  to  obtain  assiatanee  to  eariy  it 
out.    .    .     .    Mr.  Gisborne  returned  to  St.  JohQ's  in 
the  spring  of  1852,  v^hen,  at  his  instance,  an  act,iir. 
oorporating  himself  (his  Wmg  the  only  name  inentiL" 
ed  m  It)  and  such  others  as  might  become  shareholders 
m  a  company,  to  be  called  the  Newfoundland  Electric 
Telegraph  Company,  was  passed,  granting  an  exclusive 
nght  toerect  telegraphs. in  Newfoundland  for  thirty 
years,  with  certain  concessions  of  landi  by  way  of  en 
cooragemenl^  to  be  g^nted  upon  the  completion  of  >the 
^legraph  from  StJ^nVto  Cape  Bay.  .Mr.Gisborne 
t^en  returned  to]^^York,.wher^  heorganized,  under 
^is  charter,  a  company,  of  which  Mr.  Tebbete  and  Mr 
Holbrook*  were  prominent  membera,  made  his  finan- 
cial arrangements  with  th^m,  and  proceeded  to  Eng- 
land to  contract  for. the  cable  from  Cape  ^y  to  Prince 
E^^dlsland,  and  from  thence  to.the  mainland.*  Re- 
ttihung  m  the  autumn,  he  proceeded  in  a  sm£l  steam- 
er,  in  the  month  of  November  of  ih^^mm2  to 
stiBteh  the.  first  Si^arine  cable,  -M^M'.'  in  ' 

duon-  HBdertakiBg.    My  original  party,  cooaisting  of  six  white  men 
wew  exchanged  for  four  Indians;  of  the  Utter  party  tw«H«J^^       ' 
^  djed.  few  da^  after  .,  Wm.  and  the  l^T^l^Z 
|i^^^^al^edhln«.,f^^,„^^^^ 

^IOTi»  mask,  B.T^|>betB  and  DariuaB.  Holbrook  ^    . 


V  -:  I  JJ-^i-y^f^at^^ 


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w  ■ 

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,  1 

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<»«$««- ^V 


•, -^^ '•«!,•    •^''^■■'■ft^-*^V       i 


1        ^l 


HISTORY  t5>  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.         21 

Ameriqa,  across  the  Northumbeflaud  Strait  from  Prince 
Edward  Island  to  ]Srew-:5runswick,  which  cable,  how- 
ever, was  shortly  afterwar^^roken,  and  a  new  one  was 
Bubsequentljt-laid  dow|  by  the  New-York,  Newfound- 
land, and  London  Telegraph  Company.    In  the  sprirjg 
of  the  following  year,  1853,  Mr.  Gisborne  set  vigor- 
ously  to  work  to  cbmplete  his  favorite  project  pf  the 
lipe  (which  he  intended  should  be  chiefly  underground) 
from  St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray.     He  had  constructed 
some  thirty  or  forty  mUes  of  .road,  and  was  proceeding 
j^ith  every  prospect  of  success,  when,  most  unexpect- 
edly, those  of  the  company  who  were  to  famish  the 
needful  fjinds  dishonored  his  bills,  and  brought  hia 
operations-to  a  sudden  termination.    He  and  the  credn 
itors  of  thecompany  were  for  several  months  buoyed 
up  with  promises  of  forthcoming  means  from  his  New- 
York  allies,  which  promises  were  finally  entirely  un- 
fulfilled ;  and  Gisborne,  being  the  6nly  ostensible  party, 
was  sued  and  prosecuted  on  all  sides,  stripped  of  his  - 
whole  property,  and  himself  arrested  to  answer  the 
clMms  of  the  creditors  of  the  company.     He  cheerfully 
and  honorably  gave  -Qp  every  thing  he  iM)ssessed,  and 
did  his  utmost  to  relieve  the  severe  distress  in  which 
the  poor  laborers  on  the  line  had  been  involved." 

This  is  a  testimony  most  honorable  to  the  engineer 
who  first^led  the  way  through  a  pathless  wildernesa 
fe^^fewfirandland  scheme  iff  not  to  be  con^una — 


^M- 


.     ^ 


A 


\x 


^^^^ej 


T     k  *;«  «rt^'u^<■T- 


22 


'%r 


M".*^  ■ 


aoroEr  of  me  ATiJmo  Tattoniwi, 


iTtL        .*'  ^%°'-  TeIogn.ph,  wMoh  did  not 
»me  zato  existence  untiU  je«  or  two  later.    The 

W  was  not  at  alMnoIuded  io  the  fo^er.    ?; 

a  sabtemnean  hne  from  Cape  Baoe  to  dape  Kay 

Northumberland  to  Cape  Breton,  and  thence  by  over- 
land  Imes  eonvey  the  ne™  to  New-York."  TboZ 
he  adds  :  "  Meanwhile  Mr.  Brett's  experiment^  Iwe 

h«  tot  proposaU  that  ■  earrier-plgeons  and  boats 

^om  be  required  only  untU  such  time  as  the  T 

.penmen^  then  making  in  England  with  Tub^^" 

2. '!  d  r*'  T""'  " »'"^'"  "«"»?'  between"™ 
Bay  and  Cape  Breton.-  ••    But  nowhere  in  his  reZ^ 
d^  he  allude  U>  the  po^ibUlty  of  ever  thus  s^'C 
the  mighty  gulf  of  the  Atlantic.  ^ 

But  ^yeral  years  after,  when  the  temporary  success 
of  the  Atlantic  Teleg^ph  gave  a  naie  to  ever^^ 
connected  with  it  ha  or  i,,,.  <•  •    j  ^      ^ 

willing  t^  h       \  "^  '^'"^  "ot  un. 

wJhng  to  have  U  supposed  that  this  was  embraced 

.n  the  ongmal  scheme.    When  asked  why  he  diH!! 


^t-^ii';  l----:'--^^::--':^ff; 


f/^4r44-  ^i^l^^>)?!4w 


tf,B.  1  Oii-^-  /K-    y;!^ 


1' 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.         28 

signmg  a  lucrative  government  appointment  in  favor 
of  such  a  laborious  speculation  as  the  Newfoundland 

ITITT  V    '"  ""'^  '  ''""^''^  ''  **  *^^*  ^-e  with 
an  Atlantic  hne,  aU  confidence  in  the  prior  undertak- 
ing would  have  been  destroyed,  and  my  object  defeat- 
ed     This  may  have  been  a  reason  for  not  announcing 
such  a  project  to  the  public,  but  certainly  it  was  not  a 
reason  for  not  imparting  the  secret  confidential!  v  to  his 
friends.    A  man  can  hardly  lay  claim  to  that  which  ho 
holds  in  such  absolute  reserve. 
#   Howevei^  whether  he  ever  entertained  the  idea  of 
such  a  project,  is  not  a  matter  of  the  slightest  conse- 
quence to  the  public,  nor  even  to  his  own  reputation. 
Probably  hundreds  had  a  vague  notion  that  such  a 
thing  might  come  to  pass  at  some  future  day,  just  as 
many  believe  that  flying-ma«hines  will  yet  navigate 
the  air.     Ten  years  before,  Professor  Morse  had  express- 
ed, not  a  dreamer's  fancy,  but  a  deliberate  conviction, 
founded  on  scientific  experiments,  that  "  a  telegraphic 
communication  might  with  certainty  be  established 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean ;"  so  that  the  idea  was  not 
onginal  with  Mr.  Gisbome,  nor  with  others  who  have 
seemed  anxious  to  claim  its  paternity. 

It  is  a  curious  part  of  the  history  of  great  enter- 
pnses,  that  the  moment  one  succe^,  a  host  spring  up 
to  claim  the  honor.    Thus  when,  in  1858,  th.  ^  t1f>ntio 


#1 


"TelegrapT  seemed  to  be  a  success,  the  public,  knowing 


It 


V-rr  ^»' 


„M 


'/'(««■■!■*    i   '^7  ■■ 


24 


/'A 


■fw 


Hi 


T"'  0-  ™b  ..x^o  ..^,^,,~ 


■•-fteiield.    Those  2^riT  """^^  ^«'"»>-^ 

«'  Jea^t  claimed  to  ha^ff^t""  ^^  ».^  '"K 

_      w^e,  these  many  claims  ^^  *^  "^°»'    Of 

The  qaestion  is  not  who  flUt  ^,v       "■"«' Wffi»g. 

•^fe  iold  of  the  enZ£      "^  *"  "'"»»-"  »">»  who 

^"•PPW  ^th  the  S:^„^tP-««»>  thing;  who 

'""e  NewfonndJand  ^o^T*^ '"  '^"Winning  „f 

"oqu'red  a  title  to  resL,t  T  T-  v"""""*  P^  «-l 
P"ved.    All  honor  .„^„'^^^'"<*''^<-.ot  be  de. 

"8^  «»d  his  pen«ve«u.oM  ""''^'^  '^  "«- 

■B«t  for  the  company  if  ^y,.   , 
"hioh  he  had  got  I  With  «„        .   '  ''"  "■«  &ther, 
&-  --th^.  When  rb^,t*,*°i!' ■'"-«»  buta' 
fi^thouaand  dollan^S  "It*^  '"'°'"  «»»« 

The  concern  was4antm„,  .^  ■*^"°"°"""  ''"i^"™. 


4 

'A 


\ 


•  •^!* 


■  t^  f%   'Jj?  !*|f-^  y  "^  ^  *    "-^  jT  T  ^  T^  •■ 


(f 


the  un- 

so  well 

bnaonds 

rifling.  "* 
I*  who 
<  who 
inder» 
? 

ngof 
.In 
and 
5  de- 
our- 


u^ 


\ 


CHAPTER   n. 

Mb.    QiSBORNK    combs    to    NKwTnmr        T» 

TIC  OCEAK.      IB  IT    PBArcrB,K  ?      T^Tv  ^'''"'  ™"  ^'^^• 

MaCHT     and     PrOFkIr    Z«/     a       "'  ^"'^^'^  ™  LlBtTTKNA^; 

Visit  of  PRoFragoB  MoRsi.   Mr.  P,„7  „  '""'""'■""  "»"«»■ 

■»rH,PM,B„„,„„,  -  ""    »""«»■»«»    TO    ...URR 

Mr.  Gisbotoe  left  Halifax  an,!  came  to  Kew-York 
m  January  1854.  Here  he  took  counsel  with  his 
fend  Tebbete  and  othe« ,    but    they  could  ri™ 

ftat  he  me^  at  the  Aator  House,  Mr.  Matthew  D. 

llftT  7^T  "^^  '"^  ^'^  ^e^  »  buUd- 

m^  "^ Tf/r  °"°-''"''«-  "*  '-«  South  and 
West  Mr  Field  l«tened  to  his  story  with  interest. 
»d  engaged  to  speak  of  it  to  his  b«^er,  CjZt 
Md,  a  merchant  of  New-Yorlf,  who  had  ^^Zl: 
bu^uess  the  year  before,  and  had  spent  si.  trnth!: 


^^^**^^-*^-«^^^s;^f^ 


'v-m 


.••rf.  V 


.X^i^llU    1 


»                          ■                                 '^ 

"3 

^^^U  >^pip      -^f'!"*.    4^      .     .tl 

...        i* 

j,.:iti..*A.  isisi*^ 

'^H 

>«v- 


V 


26 


HIS-^RY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


/  duced  the  subject,  but  found  his  brother  disinclined 
to  embark  in  any  -new  undertaking.     Thoiigh  still  a 
young  man,  his  life  had  been  for  many  years  one  oi 
incessant  devotion  to  business.    He  had  accumulated 
an  ample  fortune,  and  was  not  disposed  to  renew  the 
cares,  the  anxieties,  and  the  fatigues  of  his  former  lifj 
But  listening  to  the  details  of  a  scheme  which  had  in 
-     It  much  to  excite  interest,  and  which  by  its  very  diffi- 
culty stimulated  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  he  at  length 
consented  to  see  Mr.  Gisborne,  and  sent  to  invite  him 
to  hi^  house.    Accordingly  he  came,  and  spent  an 
evening  describing  the  route  of  his  proposed  telegraph, 
and  the  points  it  was  to  oonnect.     After  he   left, 
Mr.  Field  took  the  globe  which  was  standing  in  the 
library,  and  began  to  turn  it  over.    It  was  while  thus 
studying  1]ie  globe  that  iJie  idea  first  occurred  to  him, 
that  the  telegraph  might  he  carried  further,  still,  and 
he  made  to  span  the  Atlantic   Ocean.     This  idea,  as 
will  soon  appear,  waa  not  original  with  Mr.  Field, 
though  he  was  to  be  the  instrument,  in  the  hands  of 
Providence,  to  carry  it  out.    It  was  indeed  a  new  idea 
to  him;  but  it  had  long  been  a  matter  of  speculation 
with  scientific  minds,  though  their  theories  had  never 
attracted  his  attention.    But  once  he  had  grasped 
the  idea,  it  took  strong  hold  of  his  imagination,  and 
led  him  to  entertain  the  Newfoundland  scheme,  as  pre- 
lirmnary  to  the  other.     Had  the  former  stood  «1gng^  __ 


i 


^ 


\^..^ 


'*'V''*c''*' 


,  r 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.         27 

he  would  never  liave  umiertaken  it.  He  cared  little 
about  shortening  comniunicatiou  witli  Europe  mere- 
ly bj  a  day  or  two,  by  relays  of  boats  and  carrier- 
pigeons  I  But  it  was  the  hope  of  further  and  grander 
results  thfit  inspired  him,  and  gave  him  courage  to 
enter  on  a  work  of  which  no  man  could  foresee  th< 
end. 

But  so  vast  an  enterprise  was  not  to  be  rashly  under- 
taken.    There  were  scienliific  problems  in  vol  ved,  wnich 
could  only  be  solved  by  scientific  inen,  and  perhaps 
not  even  by  them ;  which,  it  might  be,  could  only  be 
answered  by  the  final  test  of  experiment.    Before 
giving  any  definite  reply  to  Gisborne,  Mr.  Field  de- 
termined to  apply  to  the  highest  authorities  this  side 
the  Atlantic.  The  project  of  an  Atlantic  Telegraph  in-" 
vol  ved  two  problems :  Could  a  cable  be  stretched  across 
the  ocean  ?  and  if  it  were,  would  it  be  good  for  any 
thing  to  convey  messages  ?    The  first  was  a  question 
of  mechanical  difficulties,  requiring  a  careful  survey  of 
the  ocean  itself,  fathoming  its  depth,  finding  6ut  the 
character  of  its  bottom,  whether  level,  or  rough  and 
volcanic ;  and  all  the  obstacles  that  might  be  found  in 
the  winds  that  agitate  the  surface  above,  or  the  mighty 
currents  that  sweep  through  the  waters  below.    The. 
second  problem  was  one  Iss  mechanical,  but  more 
purely  scientific,  involving  questions  as  to  the  laws  of 


otectricity,  not  then  fSIIj  tmdeireitciod,  andT  on  -v^hiclj 


■^    r-y 


i  >•• 


^28 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  boldest  might  feel  that  he  was  venturing  on  udcer- 
tain  ground.  / 

Such  were  the  two  elements  or  forces  of  nature  to 
be  encoun^red-the  ^cean  and  the  lightning.     Could 
thejr  be  controlled  by  anj  power  of  man  ?    The  very 
propos^  was  enough  to  stagger  the  faith  even  of  an 
•  enthusiast.   Who  coijld  kj  a  bridle  on  the  neck  of  the 
wild  sea?    The  attei^pt  seemed  as  idle,  if  not  as  im- 
pious; as  that  of  Xetees  to  bind  it  with  chains.     Was 
It  possible  to  comblit  the  fierceness  of  the  winds  and 
■  waves,  and  to  stretdh' one  dong  line  from  continent  to 
contment?    And  then,  aAer  the  work  was  achieved, 
would  the  lightning  run  alAng  the  ocean-bed  from  shpre 
to  shore?    Such  were  thej^estions  which  have  puz- 
zled many  an  anxious  brain,  and  which  now  troubled 
the  one  who  was  to  under  ake  the  work. 

To  get  some  light  in  hjs  perplexity,  Mr.  Field,  the 
very  next  morning  after  Ti^s  interview  with  Gisborne, 
wrote  two  letters,  one  to  JLieutenant  Mauty,  then  at 
the  head  of  th6  National  Observatory  at  Washington 
on  the  nautical  difficulties  jof  the'  undertaking,  asking 
if  the  sea  were  iteelf  a  barr|er  too  great  to  be  overcome ; 
and  the  other  to  Professor  (Morse,  inquiring  if  it  would 
be  possible  to*  telegraph  ^r^-  distance  so  great  aa 
that  from  Europe  to  Amejica  ? 

The  mail  soon  brought  L  answer  from  Lieutenant 
Maury,^ich  be^j^SingularTy.  enough,>8^^ 


f  " 


*;>*?",' 


f       .  I 


■^■^V''^'f\ 


i-' 


HISTORY.  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        29 

I  received  your  letter,  I  was  closing  one  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  tl)©  Navy 'on  the  same  subject"  A  copy  of 
this  he  Inclosed  to  Mr.  Field,  as  giving  his  matured 
opinion.  It  has  since  been  published.  We  give  the 
greater  part  of  it,  to  shdw  the  conclusions  to  which, 
even  at  that  early  day,  scientific  men  were  beginning 
to  arrive : 

"  National  Obsertatort,  \ 
Washington,  February  22,  1854.  ) 

"  Sir  :  The  United  States  brig  Dolphin,  Lieutenant 
Commanding  0.  II.  Berryman,  was  employed  last  sum- 
mer upon  especial  service  connected  with  the  researches 
that  are  carried  on  at  this  office  concerning  the  winds 
and  currents  of  the  sea.    Her  observations  were  con- 
fined principally  to  that  part  of  the  ocean  which  the 
merchantmen,  as  they  pass  to  and  fro  upon  the  busi- 
ness of  trade  between  Europe  and  the  United  States, 
use  as  their  great  thoroughfare.    Lieutenant  Berryman  ^ 
availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  carry  along  also  a 
line  of  deep-sea  soundings,  from  the  shores  of  New- 
foundland to  those  of  Ireland.    The  result  is  highly 
inter^ting,  in  so  far  as  the  bottom  of  the  sea  is  con- 
cerned, upon  the  question  of  a  submarine  telegraph 
across  the  Atlantic ;  -^nd  I  therefore  beg  leave  to  make 
it  the  subject  of  a  special  report. 

"  This  line  of  deep-sea  soundings  seems  to  be  deci- 
«ive  of  thequestionMfeTfie  practicability  of  a  8ul)m 


_-u'l 


S«^^^te4»j|llnf-«M4uij'>'!;i«.tV-^«  f-  «■«&•% 


e.. 


•V   ..^-tvt-; 


-f'Tp. 


„/' 


*•  r-  *  *fFr*.i 


*TJ£-, 


30 


fliSTOBr  or  THE  Atlantic  mleqbaph. 


?!  '"'"S'-'-'P''  l'^'^^"  'hi>  two  continents,  ,•„  so  far  a, 

laad  td  Ireland,  the  distance  between  tie  nearest  Doint, 
«  about  sixteen  hundred i.,i,es;*  and  tbett Ir* 

soems  to  bave  been  placed  there  especially- for  the  nnr 
P-e  of  holding  the  wi^.f  a  su WiL I  e:!;, 
r'*/'''«=P-S'^-outol',barm's.way.     It  is  n^e  her 
r  '^-P  -'  too  shallow;  yet  it  is  so  deep  tha^  he 
::::  ';■  °-V,-'"'=^.  wm  retnain  forever  ^on     he 
.     ^aeh  of  veils'  anchors,  icebergs,  and  drij  of  any 
.     hnd,  and  so  shallow,  that  the  wires  may  be  read"  v 
0  ged  upon  the  botton..     The  depth  of  th'sp,raut 
.     qmte  regular,  gradually  increasing  from  the  shores  of 
Newfoundland  to  the  depth  of  from  fifteen  .hundred  to 
'Z  '!;7™"^"^°-.  -  you  approach  the  other  Jde 
The  da       between  Ireland  and  Cape  St.  Charles,    r 

XTlT  7  r°'  °'  '"'""^  '»  ««'  --est     , 
better  to  lead  the  wires  from  Newfoundland  or  Labra 

-der  the  question  as  tothe  possibility  of  finding  .  J 


\ 


^     ^"ji_     ^       .     lia** 


' '..?;- 


X 


HISTORY  OF  TUE  ATLANTIC  TELEGIJAPIL  31 

calm  enough,  the  sea  smooth  enough,  a  wire  long  enough, 
h^ship  big  enough,  to  lay  a  coil  of  wire  sixteen  hundred 
miles  in  length;  though  I  have  no  fear  but  that  tho 
enterprise  and  ingenuity  of  the  age,  whenever  called 
on  with  these  problems,  will  be  ready  with  a  satisfac- 
tory and  practical  solution  of  them.         ■ 

"  I  simply  address  myself  at  this  time  to  the  ques- 
tion in  so  far  as  the  bottom  of  the  sea  is  concerned,  and 
as  far  as  that,  the  greatest  practical  difficulties  will,  I 
apprehend,  be  found  after  reaching  soundings  at  either 
end  of  the  line,  and  not  in  the  deep  sea.     . 

"  A  wire  laid  across  from  either  of  the  above-named 
places  on  this  side  will  pass  to  the  north  of  the  Grand 
Banks,  and  rest  on  that  beautiful  plateau  to  which  I 
have  alluded,  and  where  the  waters  of  the  sea  appear 
to  be  as  quiet  and  as  completely  at  rest  as  it  is  at  the 
bottom  of  a  mill-pond.  It  is  proper  that  the  reasons 
should  be  stated  for  the  inference  that  there  are  no  n  ^ 

'perceptible  currents,  and  no  abrading  agents  at  work 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  upon  this  tele^aphic  plateau. 
I  derive  this  inference  from  a  study  of  a  physical  fact, 
which  I  little  deemed,  when  I  sought  it,  had  any  such 
bearings. 

"Lieutenant  Berryman  brought  up  with  Brookes" 
deep-sea  sounding  apparatus  specimens  of  the  botton 
from  this  plateau.    I  sent  them  to  Professor  Bailej,  ,nf_ 


"West-Point,  for  examinatiofl  under   his  microscope^ 


Liv--«5V    - 


4* 


MJi 


-yV 


82 


""™""  °^  ^"^ -^— »..«»,rH.  • 


*»«  all  thee  specimeS^        ''  "''"'«  "^  '«*.  '    ' 
i»«r;zc/e  of  sand  n.  ,  "^^"^  ^^''ds,  'W^ 

"•  'heir  burial-place  after^,!  .  ^  ""^  "^^^^'W 
surface,  and  by  Z^J"""^  '"^  '"'^  died  on' th^ 
^«o-  iradae^;lr"*'"^"^-'»'Jg«don.he 
-ould  have  »wej  l^llTr  f  ""^  '°"°'».  '""-^  \ 

fte  sea,  such  as  ooze  ™„^        ""^/"^  .the  bottom  of        J 
-    but  not  a  partici?    'r^i'' r-r"  «*or  matter;         ' 
aem.    Heocethetf  ^^'''"^'■™"'J'»nonJ 

. .   Conaequently,  a  teferantf    :  ^  "^"^  "■•  ™"«nte: 
"'  -md  >.m  in,l'^Serr"  '""  """^'  '"- 

TWefo,e,  so  far  as  the  bo  to  f.  "  '"'■'''^'"  «^^- 
Newfoundland,  or  tie  Nolr  "^  ^^^'"^  '«"'-' 
«'eSt.  lawrenU  a  d  Ir!C      '''  "  '"^  "™«'-»f 

ia  proved.    .    .    .  '^'^^f'' »«>-oas  the  Atlantic  . 

2*  **  ^^®> -^  take  the  lib- 


^ 


X 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGKAPH.  88 ! 

...  ■      i 

I 

ertj  of  suggesting  for  your  consideration  the  propriety ' 
of  an  offer  from  the  proper  source,  of  a  prize  to  -th^/ 
company  through  whose  telegraphic  wire  the  first  mea. 
sage  shall  be  passed  across  the  Atlantic.  .     :  ' ' 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  respectfully,  etc.      *     '    ' 
•  "M.  F.  Uaury,      '  / 

N  "  Lieutenant  United  States  Navy.  ' 

"Hon.  J.  d.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy.      , 

.      The  reply  of  Professor  Morse  showed  equal  interest 
m  the  subject,  Jn  proof  of  which  he  wrote  thut  he 
would  come  down  to  New- York  t^  see  Mr.  Field  about  . 
It    A  few  days  after,  he  came,  and  paw  Mr.  Field  at 
his  house.     Thiswas  the  beginning  of  anacq^intance 
which  soon  ripened  into  friendship,  and  which  hence-  - 
forth  umt^d  these  gentlemen  together  in  this  great 
achievement.     Professor  Moi^e,  in  conversation,  enter- 
ed at  length  into  the,)aws  of  electricity  as  applied  to 
the  business  of  telegraphing,  and  concluded  by  de^ar-    ^ 
ing  hiB  entire  faith  in  the  undertaking  as  a  practicable 
thing ;  as  one  that  might,  could,  and  would  be  achiev- 
ed.    Indeed,  this/aitfi  he  had  avowed  years  before. 
In  a  letter  written  as  early  as  August  tenth,  1843,  to 
John  0  Spencer,  then  Secretaiy  of  the  Treasury,  Pre 
fessor  Moi^e  had  detailed  the  results  of  ceilain  experi- 
ments  made  in^  the  h^borofNew.YQrkto-ahow.the^ 


power  ofeleetncty  to  commumoate  at  great  dtaances. 
at  the  dose  of  which  he  says-in  words  that  now  seem 


TJ 


y 


»'3^!fei86^j-'e«e^iA/t-.  i     "Wi 


■v\"  p 


I 


>■  J>.','  T^^F^  I 


-    \  . 

o4         HISTORY  OP  TFTr'    i™, 
...  """^  ™/TLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

nprophetin  •  "  77 

".'"1"!"=  mnmmncaton  on  tlie  .1.  ,- 
plan  may  mffr  certain  u  es,alh7        ''""""""'O''"^ 
Ocean  !    Slanling  as  ,1  """''"'  *  ^""""'"^ 

,    "'"  eood  forluno  of  Mr  FifM      .  »i 
.  «nd  cvJr  sinoc-fo  Mvo  ,f  1      ,      "'''-•■"  *>"",  time 

'       judgment  he  iad  i™  r   .      '      '''"  ''"'™^  '"  ''''°=° 
eldest  brother  ^.^^tl  "^l"''™-     ^''"^  --  his 

.  •  »d  unfaltering  etnCor,,  T '■"'  ''^  J'"^o--', 
lantie  Telcgrapb  is T^  °  ,  """  ''""«^'-.  tl'c  At- 
evc.  t„ow,  f  t  tott  'f""^"  ""-  a«  «-W  will 

.  ^--..^he„i."°fi':frj;::"tT'"--^  ■ 

«-t»d  beat  counsellor  M? Ken'    ^"""'- 1'- "ear-      . 
-"icl.  had  taken  possjl^  o    h,°'™t  ""  ''"'^■«=' 
strengthened  bv  that  m!/  """'' '  "'"^  ^eing 

-'-d  that,  if  i!:^zt:::^:i'!^"''  ^= «"»'i^  -  ■ 

't^'-tB  to  join  hin>,  he  Cu  I^'l      """"  "'^"f      ^ 
-    ^lieh,  beginning  ^ith  1^  r      .         '"  ""  ^°"=T™° 
™.ved  i,  the  end  lot  i  J^^X^-f -^=»^,  .■"-      , 
tt's  New  World  whieh  0„       ^      ,     *"""?'  '"  '™t 
«-'  0,d  World  wl-  :  ha'"  tenlr  ^^  'T"-^'  '" 
empire  and  of  eiyihzation     T     I    "^'^  "'^''>°»«  "f  ' 
"■rough  the  ne^t  twelve  yiZl  w'nf'"'  ''^™°^^''        ^ 
to  relate..  .    *    •^^'™' '"''"'«  our  province 


I 


a*fc!4»Ui>4i<P<.*Vv.  £j    .^.    A.Jrt''i 


ffSiViCjC:;.!-! 


,,  .4^,. 


'^*^'T.'%'''  <^s*ii; 


iit^r 


CIIAPTEr' III. 

^'T"  ^n."   ""'^°"    CaPITALI^  in    THK   EkTERPIIISE.      PeWR-  COOPIR, 

Moses  Taylor,  MARaoALL  0.  IKobkrts,  and  Chandler  Wuitk     Com! 

MISSION    SENT   TO   NeWKOUNDLANT&.         TheT    OBTAIN    A    NEW    Cu.RTER 

FOR  TDK  New-Yorz,  Newfoundland,  Ind  London  Telegraph  Com- 
pany. Ketorn.  to  New-York.  Thi}  (SpAUTER  is  accepted,  tiih 
Company  oroanized,  and^thb  Capital  raised. 

And  so  the  young  New- York  merchant  set  out  to 
carry  a  telegraph  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  I     The  de- 
sign had  in  it  at  least  the  merit  of  audacity.  •  But 
whether  the  end  was  to"  be  sublime  or  ridiculous  time 
alone  could  toll.     Certain  it  is  that  when  his  sanguine 
temper  and  youthful  blood  stirred  himUp  to  take  hold 
of  such  an  enterprise,  he  little  dreamed  of  what  it 
would  involve.   He  thought  lightly  of  a  few  thousands 
risked  tn  au  uncertain  venture ;  but  never  imagined 
thut  he  might  yet  be  drawn  on  to  strike  uppn  its  suc- 
cess the  whole  fortune  he  had  accumulated;  that  he  - 
was  to  saicrifice  all  the  peace  and  quiet  he  h^^  hoped 
to  enjoy;   and  that  for  twelve  years  he  was  to  be 
almost  without  a  home,  crossing  and  re-crossing  the 
sea,  urging  his  enterprise  in  Europe  and  America.  " 
But  so  it  ia  thntii^^Sektg  who  designs  great  thtngaT 


■y 


f  'i 

''I.. 


4-  'A 


,'^i^'ijr.i  '^'-       f^ 


^j*.    i,    iK»-- 


/■  * 


'%) 


»     TV"" 


/-  f 


,/'■ 


36  HlSTOIiY    OP    THE     ArpTAxrm 

THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

for  human  welfarp  ^r.A 

fron>  the  ste™  reaMes  ,":  °''"  *'"=  ""^■'' 
tte  rugged  aseente  they  aretoeLK  '^  ""^  '^'«" 
"len  at  last  the  heighHral  '7  *''  '*  ^  °°'-^ 
backward,  that  they  ^elnh^' v    '  ""*  """^ '°°t, 

•  passed.    \  •^  ^'^"'^  '^"gh  what  they  have 

•  ■     -ady  to  e.ltl":r'r'r  ''^"  '^"''^^  »^ 
:       of  eharaotfr!  meo  whof !  T"''^  "enofsense^^ 

. '  (.an  enterprise  where  if  i,  kTiT        ''"'  "^P"*'  '» 
money  ifterall/a!  rt    ,,  '  """^  ''''»"  ^-id  their 

doub4i,ttt::^?t:'°rr-^'  ^'--^ 

«o  enlist  ten  canieali,,,    li  ^      *^  if  possible, 

The  first  man  whom  ha  ^aj 
Cooper,   who  was  tht  and  w '  T  "''  ^^'^ 
"-•gkbor.     Here  he  W  th!     1    ''  ''^^'•''«" 
»  -n  of  large  fortune^™',  ^  ,  ""^f  ">i* 
would  naturally  feel  ,„      T    f    ^'""'=''J  «  Uf^ 

^be  -^uctauee^in'^.'rr  n!:  7  T'^'^- 
^_^ *^^  Pot  so  much  to  the 


Ji^iA^r.,..., 


t 


?*^-y^  f~»  ■ 


yv  n-^   ^*■ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      '   37 

risking  of  capitol,  as  to  having  his  mind  occupied  with 
the  care  which  it  would  impose.    These  objections 
filowly  yielded  to  other  considerations.    As  thev  talk- 
ed  it  over,  the  large  heart  of  Mr.  Cooper  began  to  see 
tfiat,  if  It  were  possihU  to  accomplish  such  a  work  it 
would  be  a  great  puhlio  benefit.    This  consideration 
prevailed,  and  what  would  not  have  been  undertaken 
.     as  a  pnvate  speculation,  was  jiel^ed  to  public  interest 
The  conference  ended  by  a  conditional-  agreement. 
Mr.  Cooper  would  engage  in  it,  if  several  othera  did. 
In  the  end,  as  we  shall  soon  see,  he  became  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Company,  and  as  such  has  remained  to 
this  day. 

The  early  accession  of  this  gentleman  gave  strength 
to  the  new  enterprise.      In  all   the  million  inhabit- 
ants  of  the  city  of  New- York  there  is  not  a  name 
which  is  better  known,  or  more  justly  held  in  honor 
than  that  of  P^er  Cooper.     A  native  of  the  city' 
where  he-  has  passed  his  whole  life,  he  has  seen  ite 
growth,  from  the  small  town  it  was  just  after  the  Rev- 
olution, and  has  himself  grown  with  it.  Beginning  with 
very  smal]  means  and  limited  opportunities,  he  haa 
become  one  of  the  great   capitalists    of  the  New 
World.    But  toany  who  thus  rise  to  wealth,  in  the 
process  of  accumulation,  form  penurious  habits  which 
i^ Jg J^^'^L,^^  to_^  of  their  daya  it  ji^_ 


ffie  oHef  obf^t  of  life  :to  hoard  and  to  keep.    But 


^fe^^itUi'V^nJBii"       i-t.i-' 


[•■»•'■ 


w 


38 


HISTORV  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  kLEflBAPa. 


^1^!;  :'?  "^' '™^  '"^  '^-^-  t-  t^"!  also 
»e  Heart,  of  a  pmce;  and  has  uaed  his  wealth  with  a 

noble  generosity.    In  the  centre  of  New-Yorl  T\ 

to^e  g.ft  to  the  city.    His  object  was  to  benefit  the 

Tori  b"'T  '"'-'  ■"^"  ""-^  ™-"  o^  ^ew 
e^«o„^r:t;Tt^tT  '^""^'^^-^--Sesof 
York  ,hl  ^  ^°™S  "™  «f  New. 

iorlc,  the  apprentices  and   mechanics,  should  have 

l^etter  opportunities  than  he  had  ever    njoyed     Z 
this  he  endowed  eou:.es  of  lectures  on  the  na  ur.1 1 
enoes ,  he  opened  the  largest  reading-roon.  in  It:  " 
wh  oh  furnishes  a  pleasant  resort  to  a  thousand  reade,^ 

-s:rb:^:rhi:^:ro;tot;r-"^^^ 

and  who  go  forth  into  the  world  rearl  '*' 

i"g,  and  to  bless  the  memol  of  ^  "'"  "'• 

■  factor     Ti  •  '"  ™<'™ofy  of  their  generous  bene- 

toctor.  ThB  noble  institution,  standing  riirht  i,. T 
heart  of  New-Yorlr  will  ,  ■  ,  *  ^  '"  '"<> 
ha»  ™.   .,  7'  """"'  '™8  affe'  ito  founder 

ha.  passed  away,  his  enduring  monument 

.a  01  early  hfe-hpw,  while  giving  hundred,  „f 
thousands  to  othei.,  he  cares  to  sp^  uL  Z^^. 


«^" 


l^uH.'-'a^*'..^''*--, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.         39* 

how  he  remains  the  same  modest,  kindly  old  man ;  the " 
pur.7,  the  generous,  and  good.     The  accession  of  such  a 
man  to  the  head  of  the  new  Company  was  a  benediction. 
It  brought  a  blessing^ith  it;  and  if  in  future  yeai^  a 
huiidred  cables  should  link  the  New  World  to  the  ■ 
Old,  M  will  be  a  pleasant  remembrance  that*he  begin-' 
ning  of  the  enterprise  was  connected  with  that  hon- 
ored  name. 

Mr.  Field  next  addressed  himself  to  Mr.  Moses  Tav- 
lor,  a  well-known  capitalist  of  New-York,  engaged  in 
extensive  bnsiness  reaebing  to  different  parfa  °of  the 
world,  and  -whose  daily  observation  of  all  sorts  of  en- 
terprises, both  sonnd  and  visionary,  made  him  per- 
haps a  severer  judge  of  any  new  seheme.    With  this 
gentleman   he  had  then  no  personal   aeqnaintancr 
but  sent  a  note  of  introduetion  from  a  friend,  with  a 
Ime  requesting  an  inter/iew,  to  whieh  Mr.  Taylor  r^ 
p hod  bv  an  invitation  to  his  house  on  an  evening  when 
bo  should  be  disengaged.     As  these  two  gen'emen 
tavo  smee  been  very  intimately  associated,  they  re- 

^:.d'  "^^Si '°  "f  "^'  ''"^-'--  Says  Mr. 
■Pieia.  1  shall  never  forget  how  Mr  To^i^.  •  , 
mn     TT^  -R     J  •  -'^aj^or  received 

me.     Ee  fixed  on  me  his  keen  eye   as  if  h«  ^    7a 

|ook  through  me:  and  then,  sittingTw^l^lir 

^me  for  nearly  an  hour  without  saying  a  word" 

^Was  rather  an  ominous  beginning.    Howevl  hi. 
qmck  mind  gQtVTnB„i,  ^^  ^— .r-.^..    ^  -  .  "^^^^"i  AM 


-^>^^^m^^^-^^ 


^:i)f','  -li.'t^-' 


,^^-ji  Y>t.  ^.-/i^J^Mfl 


^:^S 


40 


=«W  0.  .HK  ^^^^,  ,,^^^^^ 


♦  » 


.      ®°^  *^6  evening  ended  Wo,,  „ 

ias  been  too  reniarkaW.7^  '"'"'  '^''"^  «>'«•■ 

A  native  of  tC^TZ^^T^l  "T'  "°"°^- 
™  a  physician  from  wl^I  ^  ^    °"°"''  '''^  ^""O' 

««l7iothiacentury)wr'!.°.°^''°""~'"'"y  ' 
;'sM,e..,  ..  oi  ;S;:;-^-^^^^^    Vof 

From  that  time  he  m^dp  v  *^^  '^°'^^- 

■"a«3t.,„„d  indo^.:M  ;^r  Ttr^^^/^""™ 

io  was  embarked  in  business  for  W^tdr^' 
tor,  soon  became,  a  succession  of^     1 
If  wc  were  to  relate  some  of  ,h.  ■  ^.      «'"«Tnses. 
With  his  rise  of  fortune,  I;  itnT  """"^"'^ 
romance  than  reality.    He  wasTlTfi   !  "'*"*<= 

floating  palaces  which  nowpTv  t     l     ^'"''^^  ^'^ 
"0.  and  the  great  lakes.  ,He  w  ^'tfl"'''^  °"'^- 
>»ote«  of  the  Brie  Railroad,    mtth  !'  ^^^''"■ 
gold  in  California  turned  th„  IIT     !     '^'°"^"'7  <>* 
tta'coast,  he  started  rfne„LI  '™^^"'°''  "^ 

I^bmus  of  Panama,  W    2^,^??  ™''"^°S  to  ,he     - 

impulse  to  many  di  W  il'""  "^  '^"'  ^''"S  - 
H.  Whole  eoui  ZZ^ZZZl '"'  "'"'  ^ 
mereial  daring,  which  men  Z,      u^    ''""'  °^  "om-  ^ 

'---coe.4-.enizra:r::s:r:r 


i*>V 


HISTOBT  OF  THE  ATIANHO  TELEGRAPH.  4] 

'  M"-.  Field  next  wrote  to  Mr.  Qhandler  Whit«,  a  per- 
^nal  feed  of  ..any  years  standing,  wl,„  had  reXed 
from  bosmess,  and  was  living  a  fevr  miles  below  the 

nl'tsT  vT'"""'  ''^°'"'  °^*°-  ^-«««J 

pomts  of  new  whoh  command  the  whole  harbor  of 

.     New-York.    He  too  was  very  slow  to  yield  to  argn- 

ment  or  persuasion.    Why  should  he-when  he  had 

east  anchor  in  this  peaceful  spot-again  embark  in  the 

..  cares  of  busmess,  and,  ^orst  of  all,  in  an  enterfjrise  the 

scene  of  which  was  far  dktant,  and  the  results  very  " 

^  uncerto?    But  enthusiasm  is  always  magnetic,  and 

There  were  now  five  gentlemen  enlisted;  and  Mr. 
Field  was  about  to  apply  to  others,  to  make  up  his 
proposed  number,  when  Mr.  Cooper  came  to  ask  why 
five  would  not  do  as  well  as  fe;.  ^  The  question  was  no 
sooper  asked  than  answered.    To  this  all  agreed,  and- 

M  T,.    "f  ""  '=™""8^'>»  *ey  ahould  meet  at 
Mr.  Fields  house  to  hear  his  statements  and  to  ex- 

-.-d  ,o.„ed  ,h„  B.U,.  Ccp^j,  B,.  wita  G.  Hint    Kr  Hml 
h«  ™ted.rt  "•  -te""'  r.P-U.»n  for  «e^^  ta'*.;"^;- 


i2 


,     "'"''"= 'to  charter  of  tlie  old.. 

'■"I  done,  Vnd  w,,,i  ^1°        7'°^'  '^'"^  ™'  '^'^^'t 
''  ''^d  an,  wt,, :    177^,^  '"  <Jo,  wl,at  property 

;-e^d,e„ss:i^.,J„^.  ;" ;« ^°"  -■.>..  ,•„ 

^P^ead  with  mapaof  4e  2*!,    .     ''"■«°  ™'^  «» 

7t.'o  be  done  the  cl  of  J     "     """"""  "'  "'" 
■^''"^^  "^ey  might  hope  nl      f  "'  ""'  "'^  ^^'"m 
'^bor  a.d  the,,  capita,"    The  le"f  *°  ""^''^^'^^  'l'- 
.-'i'opart.of  a/to  c.tefol Z "  7  "»  "'--"-eat 
Government  of  :  Newfound  wu""""^' ^  "'^     ■• 
o>^arter  co.ced,„g  fc^re  WaL  °!      ^""'  "  "-       ' 
*'«  "  wa.  important  to  sendT'  '    ™'-'    ^°  ^^'"■o 
,.    ^ewfoundiand.    Neither  Mr  O'      '°  "  ™°""'^'°''  'o 

-*°  ""ake  the  fi^t  vo/ai  on  t  Lt       ''  °"  *•  ««" 
-0-  than  my  voyai  "inlr    T.'"^  "  ""«  *» 
,    '»d,  or  across  the  I  „„  &'  n         '°  ^'^'''"""•'d. 
'"to  the  whole  response!,  f "'  ""'  -*-S  to 
»' h- earnest  requeafbyMt*;  ''"^  «oeomp-a„ied 
^old,  whose  counsel  as  hew  T  f ''  """^  ''^  M---  D.  D 

*ow  charter  that  was  toTec*!'"  '  '^^"""S  "'  «- 
P'"'/-  Says  .he  iatter  gel«:r„  ■  "*'"'  °'  ""^  Com. 
afterwards;  ■  ^°' '°  »°  »°°onnt giwa 


\    i^ 


Mv*-*^'^^   (--i-^jV* 


aiSTOBr  OP  THE  ATLAKTIC  TELEOBAPH.         43 

"  The  agreemert  With  tbo  Electric  Telegraph  Com- 
pany and  the  formal  surrender  of  its  eharter,  Lre^ 
.  ^^^gned  on  t  e  tenth  of  Mareh,  [1834,]  and  on  tl  efour- 

R„T'    Tit    """'"S  we  took  the  steamer  at 
Bo  ton  for  BMifa.,  and  thenee,  on  the  night  of  the 
eighteenth,  departed  in  the  little  steamer  Merlin  f„ 
St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.    Three  more  disa-^reeable 
day.,  voy.agexs  scarcely  ever  p.assed,  than  we-spent  in 
that  smallest  of.steame,..    It  seemed  as  if  all  the 
Storms  of  winter  had  been  reserved  for  the  first  month 
of  spnng.     A  frost-bound  coast,  an  icy  sea,  rain  ha  , 

r  :"'  '''"^''  ''^'^-''^  greetings  of  th    t  1  grath 
adventurers  m  their  firsfmovement  towards  Eurl 
n  the  darkest  night,  through  which  no  man  could  ^ 
f ;  *'P=  '^"S*'  "a  ™o-  filling  the  air  and  flyi" 
'"0  the  eyes  of  the  saita,  with  ice  in  the  water  and 
a  heavy  sea  rolling-and  m<»mng  about  us,  the  1;^°' 
f  It  h»  way  around  Cape  Kace  with  his  lead,  oTl 
blmd  man  feels  his  way  with  his  staff,  but  ^  confl 
dently  and  as  safely  as  if  the  sky  had  been  clear  ^d 

2r  r  '■  ■"'  *^  "S'^'  "f  --"-g  dawned  up"n 
d^k  and  ma^t  and  spar,  coated  with  glittering  ice,  but 
floating  securely  between  the  n^Ss^whlh  form 
the  gates  of  the  harbor  of  St.  John's.  1  that  bu^ 
-dhosprtable  town,  the  first  pe:^n  to  whom  1^ 


.  .         "  ,  "  "  ">  """  "'  »•-  person  to  whom  we  wprR 

-t«Ktear«m  WaSM.  ISibaiX^C 


•  I 


44 


.Sf; 


HISTOKT  OP  rUE  AT^^,i„  ,,,^^^^^^_ 


uaj  lo  tlJis,  has  been  an  effif'ipnf  o„/i         •      ' 
ent  supDortpr  r,F  +1,         i  emcient  and  consist- 

--"oalso  toot  .„  ear::n^^r,ff^f -"<'».) 
convoked  the  Council  to  recede  J  T/""  ^^ 
Planatioo  of  ou.  views  .ITZTs  1  a  7  \"  "■ 
after  the  confereno.  tl,„  *  ""*  ''°'"^ 

Council  was  «S    'd  Z  '^''"  °'  *'"'  ^^^^-'  -d 

i^-ds,  a^  in.ixr;i  :;r"  "'^"■""•^  °'  • 

land,  a  further  grant  tf  th!       ^  "*"'"■'  "''^^  "^ 

p>e«onofthe.4::pr:r:h::r::;r°'"-' 

telegraph."  '  '''™«'  ""=  ''"'  °f  the  land 

Official  enTu^erent  a  r:^'  '"""^  ^"■^'^  ^^  *- 

p«>M  that  Tz^-T,::s''Tr '"  *^-  . 

Keld  remained  in  St    T  f '  1,      ^  ""  ""'""y'  *• 

^0  took  the  MerLtrH:^r:r'  ^''^" 
New- York  f^.^^^  +  ,  -"aiuax  on  his  way  to 

forthr:^it tfl^ct'^^l-"— ste^^er       " 
°»e...w.th  the  fonner  company.    C^t^eTZ 


4  ^ 


/ 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGlUPH. 


X 


T 


45 

;:^:  details  was  necessarilj  a  work  of  tipie.    Fii^t    the 

■  charter  of  the  old  "Electric  Telegraph  Compan^'  ^^ 

.     o  be  repealed,  to  dea.  the  way  for  a  new  charter'  to 

^     the  Company,  which  was  to  bear  the  more  comprehen- 

sive  title  of "  New-Vnrt  ■»»„<•       Ji      ,  pieuen- 

This  charto-whioh  had  been  drawn  with  the  greatest 
care  by  the  eoun^I  „f  the  Company,  while  onfte 
voyage  to  Newfoundland-bore  on  itT  very  front  Z 
deelaration  .hat  the  plans  of  the  new  Com™ 
mueh  broader  than  those  of  the  old.    In  the  form 
charter,  the  design  was  thus  set  forth,     ^ 

stril«vt!''w''''n"'°'*'''"°""'"^'^''^S"'^to,be 
w  I  ^?.  ^f '-<^°"*'°cntal  Telegraph.'  fe  termjni 
WUI  be  New-Tort,  in  the  United  State,  and  Lo„d  n, 
m  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain ;  these  point,  areUo 

yorrs^7:i'"i°^^'-'^'»-w^-N? 

parUy  Taid  in  t     ''  ^"^r^'^r  ^tly  on  pot, 
partly  laid  m  the  groand,  and  ^rfly  through  ihe 

water,  and  a  B.  of&e  ^yUsl  .leamsk^ever  iuljrol 
"""P^'^'oIrOan^.    The  trips  of  thi.fean^£t^     ■ 
s  e W,  will  not  ezeeed  fi.e  days,  and  as  verySe 
t.mew.1  be«=eupied  m  transmitting  messages  be'wl  ^ 
St.  JoWs  and  New-Tort,  the  eommunicat,' n  .J^Z 

ed  .»  ».  <fay.,  0,  fe^    The  company  will  have  litj^ 
.^seetmtereeptmgtbe  Enropeaa  and  American  steam.~~ 


# 


±^l^XJ€f 


♦ 


13 


"STOKT  OP  THE^TL^VNTIO  i,.oJ^p^. 


"V  ■ 


«1"P3,  SO  that  no  opportunity  may  be  lost  i„  f  , 
■"g  mtelligenco  in  advance  of  thf  d7ji„r  ^  ™"^ 
communiauion."  •>'  "'""""els  or 

-  te  obtained,  botfnt ,,?'"''    """"'  "'^  °°-  '°  ' 
'       'once  :  "  Wi  cri  l  "^  t   "'"°''  "  "=  ^'^''^  '='«'  «"»- 
■    «  line  of  toCX  "  "'"^"°' '°  -=^'-*"* 

and  Europe  bvwl    Tv ''""^"■°"  ''^"'^^"  ^"-'ca- 
i3 said  oft;'L.7of    '''-''"'''^-^"    Not  .  ,ord 

Thu.  one  section  giv^esT.W,     '"  T"  *"'°"™- 
"no  telegraph  acrl  ?  ^      '"'^''"^''  "  ^"l'"''''- 

Ireland  ^^o^lT,^       ""'"'' '™"'  Newfoundland  to 

o^pe^;r::r:St':rrfr™^ 

its  c343pendencio.  r^.1.-  i   ^  ^  of  Newfoundland  or 

«rapbLiro?:t'*rl*=""^r"'^^^^ 

^^%Kar.,.  and  a^ti^^loT^::  ^^ ^' "^ 
fi%  square  miles  of  land  unon  tl  Company 

.nWinelineacroJLrntl^"""'''*"^^'^- 

in  other  respectetbeebarter  was  conalWl-l,     ,     . 
'noorpor^ted  the  a^ociales  for  /"'^"'^'^''''"^'-    I' 
Perfect  equality  in  resneet  ,o         ^  ^""^'  •'''^''liBhed 

O-ecn  eiti  Js  onCl,lZ:Z  f  ft^ ^        ' 
jeoto,  and  allowed  fh„  „    .■         .  -^""^  ^"^ 

direct,  to  rheld   n  ;  '"'v  1 ""'  ^*-'^-'">W-and         , 
or  in  Won  ^'""^""^  ^^  Newfoundland. 


Ji*  -^^ ' 


m-i?'- 


V 


«,5-  ■uwSdLrfTjt^&iVl  J 


HIST01.T  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGIUPH.         47 

To  obtain  such  concessions  was  a  worV  «i^ 
^ult y  and  dol'iv      Th.  T     .  ,      ^  "^  ^''^'^  °^  ^ome  diffi- 

natural  y  Z^,,  '  "  '''''''''''''  ^'  *'-  P-viace  were 
^  anxious   to  scan   carefully  conditions   th., 

hat  dar:  "r    "'""  "^  *^  ""P^-^  °f  St.  John-, 
ot  that  day,  conta,n,„g  the  discussions  in  the  Lcisla- 

n  the  stupendous  project,  they  show  a  duo  care  for 
thcuterestsof  theirowncolony,  which  they  wc^b  und 

dCcL  '  ''"'''  ■""  *^-'"-w-  renLved 
and    he  gharter  was  passed  unanimously  by  th'e  As 

|mbly,  and  conr™d  by  the  Council.    '   '  "^^  ^ 

This  happy  result  was  duly  celebrated,  in  the  man 

oer  wh,ch  all  Englishmen  npprove,  by  L  granlZn 

que  g,ven  by  the  commissioner  of  the  newrmpa" 

o"  tnt'^  "^'-^  Assembly  and  other  dignil^s 

.roreme7:2st"j:hX;ra^T--^-;'^^- 

to  perceive  how  heartily  th?!  ,'  ^""^^'"^ 

!,„    11    ,  neartiiy  the  enterprise  was  Welcomef)     ' 

by  all  classes;  and  how  fond  w„rl  *i         "'^O'nM 

:  '^;^^ru^.j:^i  ::urbri:!rr 

so^rrtT  *"  "'^"^"^  ^8ned,  than  the  Wheels 
»  K^fg  blocked,  were  unloosed,  and  the  maclinet: 
began  to  move.    Mr"  'Whito  „t  j      maomnery 

fcisd^^^y  thoasmt  -doITSr  aSdlSr  orfr= 


\ 


^ 


<xiA^  il'iv£.sLvii^K-^^'^^ij 


i...-ii. 


48 


HISTOBV  OF  TM  ATI^xo  TELEOK.PH. 


'       *»  ''*'»  Of  the  old  company     A  S.    T  i    .         " 
,         l»per  of  April  8th,  1864; Lfd  a  gt't  S    T 
""j^S  coutaitis   this   naraffrnn)!    ,.,i  •  i    • 
nificaot  of  tl^  dead  staCfTe^u  t     ^^  ""^  «'> 
^      the  life  of  the  new :  ""P""^'  *^^  «^ 

"  T^e  office  of  the  new  Electric  Telpm-or^y  r. 

nes3  with  which  ihST-  "J"""  *''°  '«»<"• 

tHa..c,wiiiWpw.o^:i'^r.rr 

b~the,  and  as  leTet^ofT  "'*''•  ^'^"^'^ 

streamed  into  the  windowa  ^L  f  "'°,  """"""S  suu 

took  Place     Th,!  -     ^  °™*'  organization 

place.    The  charter  was  accepted  the  stock  sub- 


WT 


Ss|5ffi''-^-«ate 


,  BISTORT  OP  THE  ATLAOTIC  TELEORiPH.         49 

scribed,  and  the  officers  ehosen.    Mr.  Cooper,  Mr. 

I  "^^"^f  ""'  '^'-  ^^'"'^  »"'»  Mr.  WUte  were 
the  tod„^to^.  Mr.  Cooper  waa  cho«=a  President, 
Mr^  Wh.te,  Vice-President,  aud  Mr.  Taylor,  Treasn,^r 

Th,s,s  a  short  storj.,  and  soon  told.  It  seemed  a 
light  affau^,  for  half  a.dozen  men  thns  to  meet  in  the 
earlj  morning  and  toss  off  such  a  business  befo,,  break- 

p«  thmr  hands!    A  capital  of  a  million  m  a  half  of 
doUais^was  subscribed  in  those  few  mlktes,  and  a    ' 
.company  put  in  operation  that  was  to  carry  a  line  „f 
telegraph  to  St.  John's,  more  than  a  thou^nd  mUes 

from  New-TorJ^  and  then  to  span  the  wUd  sea.    Well 
was  « t..t  they  who  undertook  the  work  did  tot  I  " 

from  r  T  ""  ""*"'"'''  ■"  "'"y  ""S*"  ""f*  *™"k  ■ 
wl      !  TT    ^"'^  ""^  "  ^*  «'^"'  ««"  ao  veU 

delay,  the  .mmense  toil,  and  the  heavy  burdens  of 

chJled  the  most  sanguine  spirit    But  a  kind  ProvT 

.dens  as   hey  are  able  u>  bear  then,,  and  tL  le«t 
them  on  to  greater  achievements  than  they  knew 


^ 


S'-'  'v;':,  f '■■?«*;  , 


'    '■■A   ;\/p;*;-    :,' 


V  /i>,f>i  \-  ;■■- ") 


■  K<:^. 


4i"!^ 


* 


CHAPTER  ly.       ^  „ 

Tm  Land  Link  dkoun  in  Newfoundland.     Iuuensk  Undkbtakiho. 

^        Four  Hundred  Miles  of  Road  to  be  built.    Two  Ykaks  of  Labob. 

-        First  Attempt  to  lat  a  Cable  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 

IN  1856.    Failure.    Second  Attempt,  in  1866,  wfiiCH  is  Success- 

;v  »ut. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  world  easier  than  to  build 
a  line  of  railroad,  or  of  telegraph,  on  paper.    You 
have  only  to  take  the  map,  and  mark  the  points  to  bo 
connected,  and  then  with  a  tingle  sweep  of  the  pencil 
to  draw  the  line  along  ^hjich  the  iron  track  is  to  run. 
.    In  this  airy  flight  o^th^  imagination,  distances  are 
nothing.    A  thou^nd  leagues  vanish  at  a  stroke.    All 
obstacles  disapp^^if:    The  valleys  are  exalted,  and  the 
.    hills  are  made^iow,  noble  bridges  span  the  mountain 
streams,  and  -the  chasms  are  leaped  in  safety  by  the  ' 
fire-drawn  cars.  - 

Very  dmereut  is  it  to  construct  a  line  of  railroad  or 
"of  telegraph  in  reality;  to  come  with  an  army  ot  la- 
borers, with  axes  on  their  shoulders  to  cut  down  the 
forests,  land  with  spades  in  their  hands  to  cost  up  the 


highway.    Then  poetry  sinks  to  prose,  and  instead  of 


'  ■'  I 


i^as 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELECffiAPH.         51 


flying  over  the  space  on  wings,  one  must  traverse  it 
on  foot,  slowly  and  with  painful  steps.    Then  nature 
asserts  her  power ;  and,  as  if  resentful  of  the  disdain 
wifti  which  man  in  his  pride  affected  to  leap  over  her, 
she  piles  up  new  barriers  in  his  way.    The  mountains 
with  their  rugged  sides  cannot  be  moved  out  of  their 
place.    The  granite  rocks  must  be  cleft  in  twain, 
to  open  a  passage  for  this  boasting  hero^  before  he 
can  begin  his  triumphal  march.    The  woods  seem  to 
thicken  into  an  impassable  jungle;  and  the  morass 
sinks  deeper,  threatening  to  swallow  up  the  horse  and 
his  ridi^r;  until  the  rash  projector  is  startled  at  his 
own  audacity.    Then  it  becomes  a  contest  of  forces 
between  man  and  nature,  in  which,  if  he  would  con- 
quer, he  must  fight  his  way.    The  barriers  of  nature 
cannot  be  lightly  pushed  aside,  but  must  yield  at  lajpt 
only  to  time  and  toil,  and  "  man's  unconquerable  will." 
Seldom  "ftave  all  these  obstacles  been  combined  in  a 
more  formidable  manner  to  obstruct  any  public  work, 
than  against  the  attempt  to^k.buiId  a  telegraph  line 
across  thd  island  of  Newfoundland.     The  distance, 
Ijy  the  route  to  be  traversed,  was  over  four  hundred 
miles,  a|id  the<J0untry  was  a  wilderness,  an  utter  deso- 
lation.   Yet  through  such  a  country,  over  mountaia 
and  moor,  through  tangled  brake  and  rocky  gorg^ 

fh  morasses,  they  w^re  to  build— 


-— overnve 


a  road — not  merely  a  line  of  telegraph  stuck  on  poloa, 


*-   T 


VSv-l 


^^v:^^ifcrit-^|i.i::;,  ■.  \..'- 


52 


?ISTOKr  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


but  « a  good  and  traversable  bridle-road,  eight  feet 
wide,  with  bridges  of  the  same  width,"  from  end  to 
end  of  the  island. 

But  nothing  daunted,  the  new  Company  undertook 

the  great  work  with  spirit  and  resolution/  Gisborne 

had  made  a  beginning,  and  got  soma  thirty  or  fdrty 

^      miles  out  of  St.  John's.    This  was  the  easiest  part 

of  the  whole  route,  being  in  the  most  inhabited  regior. 

^f  the  island.    But  here  he  broke  down,  just  where  it 

was  necessary  to  leave  civilization   behind,  and  to. 

plunge, into  the  wilderness.  * 

Intending  to  resume  the  work  on  a  much  larger 
scale,  Mr.  White,  the  Vice-President,  was  sent  down 
to  St.  John's  to  be  the  General  Agent  of  the  Com- 
pany;  whUe  Mr.  Matthew  D.  Field,  as  a  practical  en- 
gineer, was  to  have  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
line.    The  latter  soon  organized  a  force  of  six  hundred 
men,  which  he  pushed  forward  in  detachments  to  the 
scene  of  opepations. 

And  now  begau  to  appear  stUl  more  the  difficulties 
of  the  way.    To  provide  subsistence  at  all  for  man 
and  beast,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  near  the  coast,  for 
all  supplies  had  to  be  sent  round  by  sea.     Yet  in  fol- 
lowing  the  coast  line,  they  bad  to  wind  arouiid  bays 
or  to  climb  over  headlands.    If  they  struck  into  the 
mtenor.  they  had  to  cut  their  waythrough  tU  dense 
Wd^tongled  wood^There  waa  ^^  path  to  gui^- 


r 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEORAPH.  63 

them,  not  even  an  Indian  trail.  When  lost  in  the 
forest,  they  had  to  follow  the  compass,  aa  much  as  the 
mariner  at  sea. 

To  keep  such  a  force  in  the  field,  that,  like  an  army, 
pro^duced  nothing,  but  consumed  fearfully,  required 
^onstant  attention  to  the  commissaiy  department. 
The  littl^  steamer  Victoria,  which  belonged  to  th^ 
Company,  was  kept  constantly  plying  along  the  coast, 
carrying  barrels  of  pork  and  potatoes,  kegs  of  powder, 
pi^e|  and  spades  and  shovels,  and  all  the  imple- 
^fl||>f  labor.  These  were  taken  up  to  ge  heads 
<^^^b^ys,  and  thence  carried,  chiefly  on  men's 
backs,  over  the  hills  to  the  line  of  the  road. 

In  many  respects,  it  had  the  features  of  a  military 
expedition.    It  moved  forward  in  a  great  camp.     The 
men  were  sheltered  in  tenla^when  sheltered  at  all,  or  in 
smaV  hute  which  they  buijt  along  the  road.    But' more 
often  they  slept  on  the  ground.    It  was  a  wild  and 
picturesque  sight  to  come  upon  their  camp  in  the 
woods,  to  see  their  fires  blazing  at  night  while  hun- 
dreds of  stalwart;  sleepers  lay  stretched  on  the  ground. 
Sometimes,  when  encamped  on  the  hills,  they  could  be 
^en  afar  off  at  sea.    It  made  a  pretty  picture  then. 
But  the  hardy  men  thought  little  of  the  figure  they 
were  making,  when  they  were  exposed  to  the  fury  of 
the  elements.    Often  the  rain  feU  in  torrents,  and  the 


{* 


men,  ^jroming  undCTthep  slight  shelter,  listi^ed  sadly 


,  fit.'  intii 


.^     i 


■M 


S   -"1*     /  ., 


^r 


t 


'64         HIST6RY  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

:  '  to  ^sighing  of  the  wind  among  thg  trees,  answered 
^7,  pfe  desolate,  moaning  of  the  sea.    ' 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  the  work  went  on. 

■^  througMhte  long  days  of  summer,  and  through 

the  months  of  autumn,  every  cove  and  creek  along 

"   that  southern  coast  heard  the  plashing  of  their  oars, 

,     and  the  steady  stroke  of  their  axes  rebounded  through 

the  forest. 

But  aa  the  season  advanced,  all  these  difficulties  in- 
creased.    For  nearljr  half  the  year,  the  island  is  buried 
m  snow.    Blinding  drafts  sweep  over  the  moors,  and 
.  choke  up  the.  paths  of  the  forest.    How  at  such  times 
;  the  expedition  lay  floundering  in  the  woods,  or  at- 
tempting still  to  force  its  way  onw^d;  what  hard- 
ships and  sufferings  the  men  endured— all  this  is  a 
chapter  in  t^e  History  of  the  Telegraph  which  has 
not  been  written,  and  which  can  nev/^r  be  fully  told 
But'  . 

' ;"  •        ...^  '       '•;  '      Gentlemen  of  England, 

Who  dwell  at  home  at  ease,  * 

and  who  are  justly  proud  of  the  extent  of  their  do- 
mii^ous,  and  the  life  and  power  which  pervade  the 
Whojle,  may  here  find  another  example  of  the  way  in 
'  whi(th  great  works  are  borne  forward  in  distant  parts 
of  their  empire. 

But  to  carry  out  such  an  enterprise,  requires  "  head- 
■J^yj^j'  M  well  as  "  feand-ffoifc"    EagbeCTiDg^ii 


f 


■m 


niSTOEY  OF  THE  AT^iANTIC  TELEGRAPH.         55 

field  mtist  be  supported  by  financiering.at  home.  It 
was  here  the  fotiner  enterprise  broke  down,  add  now; . 
it  needed  constant  watching  to  keep  the  wheels  in 
steady  motion.  The  directora  in  New- York  found  a 
daily  demand  on  their  attention.  The  minds  which 
had  grasped  the  large  design,  must  now  descend  to  an 
infinity  of  detail.  They  had  to  keep  an  army  of  men 
at  work,  at  a  point  a  thousand  miles  away,  far  beyond 
their  immediate  oversight.  Drafts  for  money  came 
thick  and  fast    To  provide  for  all  these  required 

•  constant  iattenti^.  How  faithfully  they  gave  to  this 
enterprise,  not/only  their  money,  but  their  time  and 
thought,  few/will  know ;  but  we  who  have  seen  can 
testify.  In  the  autumn  of  that'year,  1854,  the  writer 
removed  to  the  city  of  New-York, '  and  was  almosf 
daily  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Field.    Yet  for  tnonths  it  • 

,  was  hardly  possible  to  go  there  of  anpvening  without 
findihg  the  library  occupied  by  the  Company,  m- 
deed,  so  aniformly  was  this  the  ca^ej  that  "  the  Tele- 
graph "  began  to  be  regarded  by  the  family  as  an  un- 
welcome intrusion,  since  it  put  an  interdict  on  the  fo»- 
i;ier  social  evenings  and  quiet  domestic  enjoyment. 
The  circuinstance  shows  the  ceaseless  ch^e  on  the  part 
of  the  directors  which  the  enterprise  involved.  As  a 
witness  of  their  incessant  labors,  it  is  due  to  them  tO' 
bear  this  testimony  to  th^r  patience  and  their  fidelity.  ) 


/-x 


* 
f    ■ 


* 


"When  tfi«j15egan  the  w6rk,l;hejr  Sloped  to  ca^ 


•  A 


■r>  m.^ . 


^^'   ^- 


*«     »jT  W     L 


••"'♦ 


.-^ 


56 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  line  across  Newfoundland  in  one  year,  completing 
it  in  the  sumirier  ot  1855.     la  anttcijfetion  of  this, 
Mr.  Field  was  seat  by  the  ^Company  to- England  at - 
the  close  of  185ifto  order  a  cable  to  span  the  Gulf 
of  SC  Lawrence,  to  connect  Cape  Eay  with  the  island 
of  Cape  Breton.     This  was  his  first  voyage  across  the 
ocean  on  the  business  of  the  Telegraph— to  be  fol- 
lowed by  more  than  thirty  others.  .  In  London  he  met 
for  the  first  tin^e  Mr.'  John  W.  Brett,  with  whom  ho 
was  to  be  afterward  connected  i^  tlje  larger  enterprise 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph.    Mr.  Brett  was  the  father  < 
of  submarine  telegraphy  in  Europe,  though  in.carrying 
out  his  first  projects  he  was  largely  indebted  to  Mr. 
Crampton,  a  well-known  engineer  of  London,  who  aid- 
^  ed  him  both  with  adYice  and  capital.     With  this  in- 
Waluable  assistance,  he  had  stretched  two  lines  across 
the  British  channeL     From  his  success  in  passing  these 
■v^ater^,  he  believed  a  line  might  yet  be  stretohed  from 
continent  to  continent.    The  scientific  men  of  England 
TV^re  not  then  educated  up  to  that  poi'fit.     f  he  bare 
suggestion  was  received  with  a  smile  of  incredulity. 
Bui  Mr.;  Brett  "had  faith,"  even  at  that  early  day, 
an4  entered  heartily  into  the  schemes  of  Mr.  Field, 
To  show  his  interest,  he  afterward  took  a /ew  shares  in 
the  Newfoundland  line— the  only  Englishman  ^who  had 
anj  part  in  th js  preliminary  work, 
iljhe  summer  oame^^ndr^e  work  in  Newfbundhmd^ 


though  not  complete,  waa  advancing;  and  the  cable 


(A 


'r 


^.  ,  .iU 


t  "TPf «  ijHf ,!J^*f 


3T0BY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        57 


[ 


ir 


in  Er^land  was  finished  and  shipped  on  board  the 
bark  ^rah  L.  Bryant  to  cross  the  sea.  Anticipating 
its  arrival,  the  Company  chartered  a  steamer  to  go 
down  to  Newfoundland  to  hssist  in  its  submersion 
across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  As  yet  they  had 
had  no  experience  in  the  business  of  laying  a  sub- 
marine telegraph,  and  4id  not  doubt  that  the  work 
could  be  accomplished  with  the  greatest  edse.  It  was 
therefore  to  be  an  excursion  of  pleasure  as  well  as  of 
business,  and  accordingly  they  invited  a  large  party  to 

'  go  down  to  witness  the  unaccustomed  spectacle.  —  ^ 
As  we  chanced  to  be  among  the  guests,  we  have  the 
best  peasori  to  reraeui^er  it.  Seldom  has  a  more  pleaSant 
party  been  gathered  for  any  expedition.  Represent-, 
ing  the  Company  were  Mr.  Field,  Mr.  Peter  Cooper, 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Lowber,  and  Professor  Morse,  while 
among  the  invited  .guests  were  ^ntlemen  of  all  pro- 

'fessions — clergymen,  doctors  and  lawyers,  artiste  and 
editors.  Rev.  Drs.  Field  and  Gardiner  Spring,  with 
their  white  hairs,  were  among  us,  and  the  Rev.  J.  M. 
Sherwood ;  Dr.  Lewis  A.  Sayre,  Bayard  Taylor,  the 
well-known  traveller,  Mr.  Fit^-James  O'Brien,  and 
Mr.  John  MuUaly — the  three  latter  gentlemen  repre- 
senting leading  papers  of  New- York.*    Besides  these, 

*  The  letteni  of  Hr.  Taylor,  which  first  appeared  in  the  Tribune, 
have  been  shoe  collected  in  one  of  hia  yolumes  of  trayel  Mr.  O'Brieii, 
A  Tery  brilliant  writer,  who  afterward  fell  in  our  clril  war,  fighting 

3* 


M 


i  ■ 


< 


us        HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLiLNTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

/         ^    . 

the  party  included  a  large|number  of  ladies,1;vho  gave 
life  and  animation  to  the  ^mpany. '  \ 

Well  do  we  recall  the  riiorning  of  our  departure.  It 
was  eleven  years  ago— the  seventh  of  August,  1855. 
Never  did  a  voyage  begin  with  fairer  omens.  It  was  a 
Ijright  summer  day.  The  skjuwas  clear,  and  the  wa- 
ter smooth.  We  were  6n  the  deck  of  the  good  ship 
James  Adger,  long  known  as  one  of  the  fine  steamers 
belonging  to  the  Charleston  Ijne.  She  was  a,  swift 
ship,  and  cut  the  water  like  an  an'ow.  Thus  we  sped 
down  the  bay,  and  turtring  into  the  ocean,  skimmed 
along  the  shores  of  Long  Island.  The  sea  was  tran- 
quil as  a  lake.  The  whole  party  were  on  deck,  scat- 
tered in  groups  here  and  there,  watching  the  sails  and 
the  shor^  Arjide  telegraph  instrument  furnished  en- 
tertaini^ent  and  instruction,  especially  as  we  had  Pro- 


^^5Lt 


*   .-s 


i 

l 


braTdy  for  his  adopted  country,  furnished  some  spirited  letters  to  the 
2Tn}et.  ^  Bat  Mr.  Mullaly,  who  appeared  for  the  Hertdd,  was  the  most 
perseTiering  attendant  on  the  Telegraph,  and-tl^  most  indefatif^ble 
correspondent.  He  sceoimpanied  not  only  this-  expedition,  bjQt  sd^reral 
others.  He  was  on  board  the  I^iagara  in'  1857,  and  again  in  both 
the  expeditions  of  1858  ;  and  on  the  final  success  of  the  cable,  pre- 
pared a  volume,  which  wa^  published  by  the  Appletons,  -giving  the  his- 
tory of  the  enterprise.  This  contains  the  fullest  account  of  all  those 
expedidons  which  has  been  given  to  the  public.  I  have  had  frequent 
oooaalon  to  refer  to.his  l)Ook,  and  can  bear  witness  to  the  interest- 
of  the  narrative.    It  is  written  with  spirit,  and  doubtless  would  have 


lud  » longer  life,  if  the  cable  itself  had  not  oome  to  tut  uutiMely  end. 


-ia44iiV<l  t,  ^ 


U, 


R^il.\ 


.iU 


?#  '^ 


-s 


•.•^tjl 


, '  lfe^t^p->^ 


A 


HKTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKaRAPH. 


69 


feasor  Morse  to  explain  this  marvellous  invejition, . 
which  some  of  iis  felt  that  we  then  for  the  first  time 
fully  understood.  All  day  long  we  lingered  on  the 
deck,  and  here  kept  watching  stiU  as  the  sun  went 
down  in  the  waves,  and  the  stars  began  to  twinkle  on 
.  the  deep.    It  was  a  day  not  to  be  forgotten. 

At  Halifax,  several  of  us  left  the  ship,  and  came 
across  Nova  Sct>tia,  passing  through  that  lovely  region 
of  Acadia  which  Longfellow  has  invested  witli  suph 
tender  interest  in  his  poem  of  Evangeline.  Thence 
we  crossed  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  St  John  in  New- 
Brunswick,  and  returned  by  way  of  Portland. 

The  James  Adger  went  on  to  Newfoundland,  steer- 
ing first  for  Port  au  Basque,  near  Cape  Bay,  where 
they  hoped  to  meet  the  bark  which  waa  to  come  from 
England  with  the  oable  on  Jjoard.  To  their  disap- 
pointment, it  had  not  arrived.  Mr.  Canning,  the  en- 
gineer who  was  to  lay  the  cable,  had  come  out  by 
,  steamer,  and  was  on  hand,  but  the  bark  was  not  to  be 
secBi — Ha^Hmg  t&^ait  several  days,  and  wishing  to 
make  the  most  of  their  time,  they  sailed  for  St. 
John's,  where  they  were  received  by  the  Provincial" 
Government  and  the  people  with  unbounded  hospi- 
tality, after  which  they  returned  to  Port  au  Basque, 
and  were  now  rejoiced  to  di^over  the  little  bark  hid- 
den  behind  the,  rocks.    It  waa  decided  to  land  the 


"^     1 


oable  in  Cape  Ray  Cove.    After  a  day  or  tf'o's  delay 


•«  .  .U' .  i  ij 


i'j*^ 


..,., 


■*A,    .-1      ^J,    »      j-^Si 


-*y'ir"^''"  " 


l'^.  "I 


.V 


60        HISTORY  PP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


in  getting  the  end  to  the  shore,  they  started  to  cross 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrfence,  the  A4ger  towing  the  bark. 
The  sea  was  calm,  and  though  they  were  obliged  to 
move  slowly,  yet  all  promised  wjell,  till  they  were 
about  half-way  across,  when  a  gale  arose,  which  pitch- 
ed the  bark  so  violently,  that  with  its  unwieldy  bulk 
it  was  in  great  danger  of  sinking.  After  holding  on 
for"  hours  in  the  vain  hope  that  it  would  abate,  the 
captain  cut  the  cable  to  save  the  bark ;  and  thus, 
after  they  had  paid  out  forty  miles,  it  was  hopelessly 
lost,  and  the  Adger  returned  to  New-York. 

This  loss  was  owing  partly  to  the  severity  of  the 
gale,  and  partly  to  the  Tact  that  the  bark  which  had 
the  cable  ^on  board  was  wholly  unfitted  for  the  pur- 
pose. It  was  a  sailing-vessel,  and  had  to  be  towed  by 
another  ship.  In  this  way  it  was  impossible  to  regu- 
late its  potion.  It  was  too  fast  or  too  slow.  It  was 
liable  to  -be  swayed  by  the  sea,  now  giving  a  lurch 
ahead,  and  now  dragging  behind.  Experience  showed 
that  a  cable  should  always  be  laid  from  a  steam-vessel 
which  could  regulate  its  own  motion,  running  out 
freely  when  all  went  smoothly,  and  checking  its 
speed  instantly  whpn  it  was  necessary  to  ease  up  the 
'  strain,  or  to  pay  out  more  slack  to  fill  up  the  hollows 
of  the  sea. 
This  first  loss  of  a  submarine  «able  was  a  severe 
afppointment^eo  Ifie'OompanyT    It  postponed  the 


^5^ 


.  ^  i  i^Wti- 


!■•    . 


r 


HtSTORT  bW  THE  ATLAJSTtC .  TELEGRAPH. 

■■'.  /   /  ■        ^  ■  ■ 

enter|irise  foi;  a  whqjle  year^    To  make  a  new  Cj&ble 
^oul4  riequ^e  several  months.    The  fietoon  wasliow 
^  ao&i|  advanced  that  it  could  not  be  laid  before  anither ' 
somiiQer.    Was  it  strange  ifj  some  of  the  little^  baiyi  be- 
gan io  ask  if  they%ad  not  lost  enou^,  and  to  reason 
that  I  it  was  better  to  atop  yhere  they  were,  than  to  go 
on  Still  farther,  pasting  tli|Bir  treasures  into  th^  sea  ? 
But  there  was  in  that  little  company  a  spirit  c^f  hx)pe 
and  determination  that  could  not  be  subdued ;  that 
ever  cried :  "  Once  more  unto  the  breach,  good  fHends  1" 
After  some  deliberation,  it  was  resolved  to  renew  the 
attempt    Mr.  Field  again  sailed  for-  England-  to  order 
another  cable,  which  wsfe  diily  made  and  sent  out  the 
following  summer.    This  time,  warned  by  experience, 
the  Company  invited  no  party  and  made  no  display^ 
The  cable  was  placed  on  b6ard  a  steamer  fitted  ibr  t^ 
purpose.    It  was  laid  without  accident,  and  remained 
in  perfect  working  order  for  nine  years. 
•  Meanwhile  the  work  on  land  had  been  pushed  for- 
ward without  ceasing.    After  iiicredible  labor,  the 
Company  had  built  a  Voad  and  a  telegraph  from  one 
end  of  Newfoundland  to  the  other,  four  hundred 
miles ;  and,  as  if  that  were  not  enough,  had  built 
also  another  line,  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  id 
length,  in  the  island  of  Cape  Bretpn.    The  first  part 
of  theur  work  was  now  done.    TBhe  telegraph  hftd 


'%:• 


been  carried  beyond  the  Uttite^  States  through  the 


U..\.  ^    ^K 


•   'M. 


"tff^-    13fP-.'   '■    "' 


'  ~*  -.■Ui^. 


il 


«'''^^^^^^H 

''^. 

^      r^ 

i^^^^^H 

l' 

62         HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

British  Provinces  to  St.  John's  in  Newfoundland,  a 
•  distai^ce  -from  New- York  of  over  one  thousand  miles. 

The  cost  of  the  line,  thus  far,  had  been  about  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  of  this  the  whole  burden,  with 
but  trifling  exceptions,  had  &llen  upon  the  original 
•  projectors — ^Mr.  Field  having  put  in  over  two  hundred 
'  thousand  dollars  in  money — and  Mr.  Cooper,  Mr. 
Taylor,  aud  Mr.  Eoberts  each  a  little  less.    No  other 
contributors  beyond  the  ^ix  original  subscribers  had 
come,  except  Professor  Ji^orse,  Mr.  Robert  '^.  jjow- 
ber,  Mr.  Wilson  G.  Hunt]  and  Mr.  John  W".  Brett. 
The  list  of  directors  and  Officers  remained  as  it  was 
at  first,  except  that  this  year,  1856,  Mr,  White  died, 
and  his  place  as  director  was  filled  by  Mr.  Hunt,  and 
that  Mr.  Field  was  chosen  Vice^resident,  and  Mr. 
iiowber  Secretary.    In  all  the  operations  of  the  Com- 
pany thus  far,  the  various  negotiations,  the  plan  of  the 
work,  the  oversight  of  its  execution,  and  the  corre- 
spondence with  the  officers  and  others,  mainly  de- 
volved upon  Mr.  Field.  ' 

And  so  lit  length,  after  two  long  and  weary  years, 
these  bold  projectors  had  accomplished  half  their  work. 
They  had  passed  over  the  land,  and  under  the'Qulf  of 
St  Lawrence,  and  having  reached  the  &rihest  point 
of  the  American  coast,  th^  now  stood  upon  the  cliflfe 
of  Newfoundland^  Inolringoff  npon  the  wide  aea.       


^X 


.  *"  V  «  V  V 


_K<       liWi/Jl 


%  y^:„»'i'i^4i 


r  "^' 


iiTSF^r^rf  T  " 


*•  s'K'vlif^l^' 


^1^:: 


,  ■'• 


d  •■ 


T. 


ft*  DeipSka  SocHDiNQsl^pIp^  Mkthod  o»  Ball  AKp^Xijn. 
MAfleiT's  Indioatob.  lu^KIdH  o»  LiKUTKNANT  Brookk.  Crbisb 
OF  THK  Dolphin  in  1863,  and  of  thk  Arctic  in  1866.    Thk  brati 

LiKCTKNANT    BeRRTMAN.       SoUNDINOS    BT    CouUANDKR  pAYUAX,    OW 

THB  British  Natt,  in  thk  Cyclops  in  1867.     Thk  'Bkd  of  thk 
Atlantic.    Bsfths  in  diffxrent  parts.    Thk  Tklkoraphic  Pla- 

TIAU.      SVBMARINK   MOUNTAIN   OFF  THK   GOAST  OF  IrVLAHD. 

'.Ml 

Hark!  do  you  Iwar  the  sea? 

— ^KiNO  Lkar. 

When  a  landsman,  bom  far  away  arpong  the 
mountains,  comes  down  to  the  coast,  and  stands  for 
the  first  time  on  the  shore -of  the  s^^-  excites  in 
him  a  feeling  of  awe  and  wonder,  not  ||«pigled  with 
terror.  There  it  lies,  a  level  surfece,  with  nothing  that 
lifts  up  its  head  like  a  peak  of  his  native  hilte.  And 
yet  it  is  so  vast,  stretching  away  to  the  horizon,  and 
all  over  the  sides  of  the  round  world ;  with  its  tides 
and  currents  that  sweep  from  the  equator  to  the  pole ; 
witix  its  unknowii  depths  and  its  ceaseless  motion ;  that 
it  is, to  hjrnjfag^highe^^^  q1  m^esty 


power—a  not  unworthy  symbol  of  God  himself 


\ 


f'^X^'/i 


4*tri^?^,.MA.,5, 


0^L 


^.*^t 


tl^ 


<<»'•> 


">. 


•.-,    I  -■ 


I  64        HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. ' 

1  .«  j 

i  I9  proportion  to  ita  mystery  is  the  terror  which 
hangs  ovfir  it.  ,  A  vague  dread  always  surrounds  the 
unknown.  Aii^  what  so  unknown  aa  the  deep,  un- 
fathomable sea  1 .  For  tliousands  of  years  the  sails  of 
ships,  like  winged  birds,  have  skimmed  over  it,  yet 
it  has  remained  the  one  thing  in  nature  beyond  alike 
man's  knowledge  |ind  his  power. 

Man  marks  the  earth  with  ruin,  ••. 

Hia  control  stops  with  the  shore. 

And  the  little  that  has  been  known  of  the  ocean 
has  been  chiefly  of  its  surface,  of  the  winds  "that  blow 
over  it,  add  the  waves  that  are  lifted  up  on  high. 
"We  knew  somewhat  of  its  tides  and  currents  as  ob- 
served in  different  parts  Qf  the  earth.    We  saw  off 
our  coast  the  great  Gulf  Stream— that  steady  flow  of 
,  waters  so  mighty  .and  mysterious,  which,  issuing  out 
of  the  tropical  region^,  p«lired  its  warm  current;  sixty 
miles  broad,  right  %ough  the  cdd  watera  of  the 
North-Atlantic ;  and  sweeping  round,  sent  the  airs  of 
■  a  softer  Climate  over  all  the  countries  of  Western  Eu- 
rope.   Oli  voyagers  told  us  of  the  trade-winds  that . ' 
blew  across  the  Paciflc,  and  of  terrible  monsoons  in 
China  an#;?Indiaa  seas.    But  all  that  did  not  reveal 
what  was  going  ,pn  a  hundred  fathoms  below  the  sur- 
^ce-^Theap  ol^^sailors  had  marvellous  tali  of  In- 
i3ianpcarl.diy<Mw,wl|^  holding  thoir  t>feat&,  ^ngej^ 


y  • 


; 


«• 


--^-i 


-f,  > 


i4 


.     \ 


HISTOar  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH..         65 

to  the  depth  of  a  few  hundred  feet ;  but  th^  came  up 
half-dead,  with  but  little  to  tell  except  of  the  frightful 
monsters  of  the  deep.  The  diving-bell  was  let  down 
over  sunken  wrecks,  but  the  divers  c^me  up  onlj  with 
tales  of  riches  and  ruin,  of  gold  and  gems  and  dead 
men's  bones  that  lie  mingled  together  on  the  deep  sea 
floor.  "Was  the  bottom  of  the  sea  all  like  this?  Was 
it  a  vast  realm  of  death,  tbe  sepulchre  of  4he  world  ? 
No  man  could  tell  us;  Poets  might  sing  of  the  caves 
of  ocean,  but  no  eye  of  science  had  yet  penetrated 
those  awful  depths,  which  the  storms  never  reach. 

It  is  indeed  marvellous  how  little  was  known,  up  to 
a  very  recent  date,  o£  the  true  character  of  the  ocean. 
Navigators  had  often  tried  to  find  out  how  deep  it 
was.    When  lying  becalmed  on  a  «tranquU  sea,  they 
had  amused  themselves  by  letting  down  a  long  line 
weighted  with  a  cannon-ball,  to  see  if  they   could 
touch  bottom.     But  the  results  were  very  uncertain. 
Sometimes  the  line  ran  out  for  miles  and  miles,  but 
whether  it  was  all  the  while  descending,  or  was  swayed- 
hither  and  thither  by  mighty  under-currents,  could  not 
be  known.  « 

But  this  true  character  of  the  ocean  it  was  neces- 
sary  to  determine,  before  it  could  be  possible  to  pass 
the  gulf  of  the  Atlantic.  What  was  there  on  the 
bottom  of  the  sea?  for  it  was  there  the  cable  was  to 


"And  its  resting-place.    Was  that  ocean-bed  a  wide 


■■"\"< 


h    f:' 


6Q         mSTOJlY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH 


fc«  )( 


^ 


level  plain,  or  had  it"- been  heaved  up  by  voleanio 
^•ces  into  a  hundred  mountain-peaks,  with  many  a 
gorge  and  precipice  between  ?    Such  was  the  charac- 
ter of  a  part  of  the  basin  of  the  ocean,  ,  Here  and 
there,  all  over  the  globe,  are  i^ands,"  Tike  the  Peak  of 
Teneriffe,  thrown  up  in  some  fierce  bursting  of  tho 
crust  of  Qur  planet,  that  shoot  up  in  tremendous  cliffs 
from  the  sea.     Who  shall  say  that  the  same  clif&  do 
not  shoot  doum  below  the  waves  a  thousand  fathoms 
deep  ?    And  might  there  not  be  such  islands,  which 
did  not  show  their  heads  above  the  surface,  lying  in 
the  track  between  Europe  and  America ;  or  perchance 
a  succession  of  moiintain  ranges,  over  which  the  cable 
would  have  to  be  stretched,  and  where  hanging  from 
the  heights  it  would  swing  with  the  tide,  till  at  last  it 
snapped  and  ftU  into  the  abyss  below?    Such  at  least 
were  possible  dangers  to  be  encountered ;  and  it  was 
not  safe  to  advance  a  step  till  first  the  basin  of  the 
North- Atlantic  was  explored. 

**  The  progress  of  invention,  sq  rapid  on  land,  tit 
length  foijnd  a  way  of  penetrating  the  sea,  and  even 
of  turning  up  its  bottom  to  the  gaze  of  men.  To 
measure.,  the  depth  with  something  like  mathemati- 
cal accuracy,  an  instftiment  was  introduced  known 
among  nautical  men  as  Massey's  Indicator,  the  meth- 
od of  which  is  very  clearly  explained  in  an  article 


^wWohappeaipdiironeof  the  Jjfew-Tdrk^p^ 


J\ 


'■—t'^ 


.*  ,^,J< 


,«■ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TSLEGRAPH.         67 

Times,)  on  the  dee^sea  soundings  made  for  the  At- 
lantic Telegraph: 

'^T^e  old  sjstem  id^with  a  small  line,  marked  at 
distances  of  one  hundred  fathoms,  and  with  a  weight 
of  thirty  or  fifty  pounds,  the  depth  being  told  by 
the  length  of  lifte*run  out.     This  is,  of  course,  the 
most  natural  apparatus  that  suggests  itself,  and  has 
■been  in  use  from  tfeSa-  earliest  agea     Experience  has 
given  directions  for  itS'*'-use,  avoiding  some  of  the 
grosser  causes  of  error  from  driftage  and  other  causes. 
Yet  its  success  in  immense  ocean  depths  is  problema^ 
cal,  and  a  problem  decided  in  the  negative  by  many 
of  the  first  scientific  authorities  at  home  and  abroad. 
In  the  mechanical  improvements  of  the  last  half-cen- 
tury substitutes  for  this  simple  but  rather  uncertain  ^ 
method  began  to  be  devised.    It  jits  proposed  to  as- 
certain the  depth  by  the  amount  of  pressure,  or  by 
explosions  under  vater,  ^ith  other  e^jually  impracti- 
cable plans.    At  last  was  noticed  the  perfect  regular- 
ity of  the  movements  of  a  spirally-shaped  wheel,  on 
being  drawn  through  the  water.   Experiments  proved 
that  this  regularity,  when  unaffected  by  other  causes, 
could  be  relied  on  with  perfect  accuracy,  and  that  an 
arrangement  of  cog-wheels  would  register  its  revolu- 
tions with  mathematical  precision.    Very  soon  it  came 
in  lae  aa  a  ship^a  log.    So  perfect  waa  their  precision^  _ 


IBat  they  were  even  introduced  in  scientific  surveys. 


Ifi-M^'si..    ^,i.^ti>i 


(■   ■a'-,  i'  .JJ  '.        '    -"fia^'^*    >    *W«ay:life 


"  1  »  *  *i5»?s^5^-,  ■ 


Vl-1 


m^K 

■i^' 


r 


/ 


68        HISTORY  OF  THE.  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Base  lines,  where  the  nicest  accuracj  is  required,  were 
run  with  them,  and  we  have  the  highesib- authority  of 
the  Eoyol  li'avy.for  believing  that  they  never- failed. 
At  this  point  it  was  proposed  to  apply  them  in  a  per- 
pendicular as  well  as  in  a  horizontal  motion  through 
the  water,  Massey's  apparatus  promising  tq  solvB  those 
problems  of  submarine  geography  left  unsolved  by  the 
old  method  of  obtaining  depth  with  a  simplejine  an^ 
sinker,  and  this  more  especially  as  some  causes  i)f  error, 
considerable  .on  the  surface,  disappear  in  the  still  water 
below."  , 

To  make  our  knowledge  of  the  sea  complete,  one 
thing  more  was  wanting— a  method  not  only  of  reach- 
ing the  bottom,  but  of  laying  hold  of  it,  and  bringing  ' 
it  up  to  the  light  of  day.    This  was  now  to  be  supplied. 
It  is  to  the  inventive  genius  of  a  lieutenant  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  Mr.  J.  M,  Brooke,  that  the  world 
owes  the  means  of  finding  out  what  is  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea.     This  is  by  a  very  simple  contrivance, 
by  which  the  heavy  weight,  used  to  sink  the  measur- 
ing line,  is  detached  as  soon  as  it  strikes  bottom^  leaving 
the  line  free  so  that  it  can  be  drawn  up  lightly  and . 
quickly  to  the  surface  without  danger  of  breaking. 
Below  the  weight,  and  driven  by  it  into  the  oolpe,  is  ^  " 
rod,  in  ^hich  is  an  open  valve,  that  i^ow  closeb  with 
a  spring,  by  which  it  catches  a  cupful  of  th6  soil, 
which  is  thua  brought  up  to  the  surface,  toxbe  p| 


1- 

i 


-"life. 


PH. 

ired,  were 
thoritj  of 
er- failed, 
in  a  per- 
1  through 
>lve  those 
ed  by  the 
^li»e  an^- 
Jcf  error, 
tillVater 

)lete,  one 
of  reach- 
bringing 
aupplied. 
it  of  the 
he  world 
3  bottom 
trivance, 
measur- 
\  leaving 
litly  and .  ^ 
reaking. 
oi^e,  is  ^  '^ 
sels  with 
th^  soil, 


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ELEGRAPH. 

69 

■- 

HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  Tj 

■'  .  -'  ^^       ^■ 

Tinder  the  microscope,  and  be  subjected  to  the.  sharp 
eye  of , science.     With  this  simple  instrument  the  skU 
ful  seaman  explorea4he  bottom  of  the  ocean  by  liter 
ally  feeling  over  it.f    With  a  long  line  he  dives  j»  th. 
very  lowest  depths,  while  the  clasp  at  the  end  of  it,  is 
like  the  tip  of  the  elephant's  trunk,  serving  as  a  deli-  ^ 
cate  finger  ^ith  which  he  picks  up  sand  and  shells 
that' lie  strewn  on  the  floor  of  the  deep.    What  im- 
portant conclusions  are  derived  from  this  inspection  of 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  is  well  stated  by  Lieutenant 
Maury  in  the  letter  already  quoted.  '* 

We  can  but  regard  it  as  a  Providential   event, 
preparing  the  way  for  t^e  great  achievement  which 
wus^  now  to  be  undertaken,  that  a  partial  survey  of  the 
Atlantic  had  been  made  the  very  year  before  this 
enterprise  was  begun,  in  1853.     Lieutenant  Ben-y- 
man^was  the  first  who  applied  this  new  method  ofj 
taking  deep-sea  soundings  to  that  pari  of  the  Atlantic 
lying  between  Newfoundlan4  and  Ireland,  with  results 
most  surprising  and  satisfactory.    But  to  remove  all 
doubf  it  seemed  desirable  to  have  a  fresh  survey.    To 
®^*ain^  Mr.  Eield  went  to  Washington  and  applied 

ona^pdltion. 

m  request  was  granted,  and  th^  Arctic,  under  com- 
mand  of  the  same  gallant  Lieutenant  Berrvman,  was 
TTO  wm  service. 


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TELEGRAPH. 


W         HKTOBT  OP  THE 

•%  J^  *^®  eighteentH  of  Julj,  1856,  and  the  very  next 
^  day  Mr.  Field  left  on  the  Baltic  ibr,  England,  to  or- 

The  Arctic 


ganize  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company, 
7^  proceeded  to' St.  John's,  and  thence  with  a  clear  eye 
^   and  a  steady  hand,  this  true  sailor  went  "sounding  on 
his  dim  and  perilous  way"  across  the  deep.    In  about 
thr^  weeks  he  madethe  coast  of  Ireland,  having  car- 
rie<|  his  survey  along  th|h  great  circle  arc,  which  the 
telegraph  was  to  follow  as  the  nearest  path  fr<li|the 
old  world  to  the  new.    The  result  fully  confirmed  his 
belilr  pf  the  existence  of  a  grjeat  plateau  underneath 
'  i         the  ocean,  extending  all  the  way  from  one  hemisphere 
to  the  other.,  -^^^  ,  -s^ 

I  cannot  take  l^Velf  the  nam^iof  this  gallant  ofli- 
cer,  wha^dered|Such  ^rarvicea  to  B|cience  and  to  hia 
county,  ^feout  a  word  of  tribute  to  his  ^e^ory. 
Lieutenaiii  Be^man  is  in  his  grave.  •  He  died  in'the 
^     navy  of  hia^ltry,  and  ^  his  ^r||nt  devotion  to  " 
her  servio^.  %hen,  ".jfivfe  7^.5*^,  tihe  g^t  c^it 
war  which  has  just  ended,  j^iSfe^  W,  he  was  pla^  in 
a  position  most  pain^Bp  Vnian  k)f  lar^  heart,  who' 
Joved  at  oi^e^his  colmtymd  the  s^^in  which  he 
was  born.    He  was  al^outherner,  a  native  of  Win- 
chester, Va.,  and,)was  assigned  t^rvice  in  the  South. 
At  the  fir^t  attack  on  South^  forts  and  arsenals,  he 
was  in  command  of  the  ^5¥yandotte,  in  the  harbor  of 
v^Penaaoola.  in  Florida.   Woffinftra,  ^hn  .^^ra  j^^^^lj 


;-f' 


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'swi»fc7^--.  ;^-im^«*^ 


■I 


HISTOar  OF  THE  4.TLANTI0  TELEGRAPH.         71 

afl-Southernera,  were  in  secret  sympathy  with  the  re- 

bellion.    Thus  all  the  influences  around  him,  both  on 

ship  and  on  shore,  were  auch  as  might  have  seducJed  a 

weaker  man  Trom  hi  loyalty.    But,  to  his  honor,' he 

never. he^it^ted  for  a  moment   ,He  stood  firnT  and 

loyal  to  his  flag.    Not  knowing  whom  to  trust,  he 

^  had  to  keep  watch'  day  and  night  against.surprise  and 

'  treachery.    It  was  the  testimony  of  Lieutenant '  Slem-  • 

mer,  tlien  itt  comnjand  of  Fort  Pickens,  tljat  but  for 

the  ceaaeless  exertions  of  Lieutenant  Berryman   not"' 

o%  the  ship  but  the  fort  would  have  been  lost.    But 

this  victory  for  his  country  he  paid  for  with  kis  life.  , 

«  constant  exertions  brought  on  a  brain  fever,  of 
^      cl^  he  died.    His  wife,  also  a  native  of  Winchester, 
when  the  war  came  near  her  early  home,  removed  to 
Baltimore,  saying  that  "  slie  would  not  live  under  any- 
other  flag  than  that  under  which  her  husbai^l^W 
Jived  and  died."  iffi 

It  was  to  the  honor  of  the  American  navy,W^^e 
led  the  way 'in  these  deep-sea  soundings.  But  after 
'^  second  voyage  of  exploration,  Mr.  Field  applied  to 
the.  British  Admiralty,  «.'  to  make  what  further  sound- 
ings might  be  necessary  between  Ireland  and  New- 
foundlalnd,  and  to  verify  those  made  by  Lieutenant 
Benyman."  It  was  in  response  to  this  application 
that  the  Government  sent  out  the  following  year 


tH- 


OQ^^n-patti.     This  was  the  steamer  Cyclops  which 


^3-j»M^'.^ 


-/  .       ■fi'l  I        I         /^   ''-'-',  i^n>    ,'    '  n       .   fn^y^"'         '•       •rt^ptT- ^^Vf^ 


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72  HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLEGKAPH.  / 

was   placed  under   Lieutenant  Commander   Joseph 
Dayman,  of  the  British  navj,  an  officer  who  had 
been  with  Captain  Sir  James  Eoss  when  he  made 
his  deep-sea  soundings  in  the  South- Atlantic  in  1840 
where  he  attained  a  depth   of  twentj-six  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  fathoms,-   and  who  by  his  intelli- 
gence  and  zeal,  was  admirably  fitted  for  th^  work. 
To  speak  now  of  this  Mrd  survey,  is  anticipating  in 
time.    But  it  will  serve  the  purpose  of  ulity  and 
clearness  in  the  narrative,  to  include  all  thes^  deep-sea  '  • 
soundings  in  one  chapter.    He  was  directed  to  pro- 
ceed  to  the  harbor  of  Valentia  in  Ireland,  ^id  thence 
to  follow,  as  nearly  as  possible,  along  the  an^  of  a  great 
circle  to  Newfoundland.     «  The  soundings  for  the  first 
few  miles  from  the  coast  should  be  frequent,  decreas-      • 
mg  aa  you  draw  oflf  shore." 

„Tiiese  orders  were  thoroughly  executed.     Every  ^ 
paiDs  was  taken  to  make  the  information  obtained  pre- 
cise and  exact.     Whenever  a  sounding  was  to  be 
'  taken,  the  ship  was  hove  to,  and  the  bow  kept  as 
nearly  as  possible  .in  the  same  spot,  so  that  the  Hne"*' 
might  descend  perpendicularly.    This  was  repeats   " 
every  few  miles  until  they  had  got  far  ouVinto  the 
Atlantic,  where  the  general  equality  of  thdv  depths'      ^ 

rendered  it  necessary  to  cast  the  line  only  every  twen- 
ty or  thirty  miles.  Thus  the  suirey  was  made  com- 
plete,  and  the  results  obtained  wer^  of  the  greatest 


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WSTOBT  or  IBE  ATl^o  TEUJflBAPtt         78 

viJue  in  determmiag  the  physical  geography  of  tho 

^l'«<»™l™onsofConananderDaymim-<iifl™ea 
.n  general  those,  of  Lieutenant  Benyn-ap,  tlloigh  in 
comparing  the  oharte  prepared  by  the  t™/%e  ob^rve 
some  differences  which  ought  to  be  noticed.    Both 
agree  as  to  the  general  character  of  the  Wtom  of  the 
oce»  along  this  latitade-that  it  is  a  vast  plain,  like 
ftes^pp«  of  Siberia    retonthechartof  Da;n.an 
the  fl«,r  of  the  sea  seems  wt  mA  a  ckad  M  as  on 
that  of  Berrymaa    (This  may  be  partly  o«ing  to  , 
d^erenoe  pf  rout,^  ,s  Dayman  passed  a  littl*  to  the 
north  of  ^  track  of  Berxyman.)    There  are  more  un! 
equal  depths  whioh  in  the  small  space  of  a  chart  an- 
^  l^e  hills  and  valley.    Tet  when  we  c:n^i:rr 
the  wde  distances  passed  over,  these  inequalities  seem  - 
not  greater  than  the  undulations  on  our  Weste™ 

nZV  7"*  r^"  -*''  ^"^-"i  "'•-^- 

named  by  Mamy  the  telegraphic  plateau,  and  althoMgh 
^y  mult.^y,„g  the  sounding,  upon  it,  we  have  depSa 
Tangmg  ftom  fourte«r^«ndred  and  fifty  to  tw^tv    ■ 

fou.  hundred  fat|Se«  ar«.  comp^ra^Si 
mWes  m  xts  sW^^nd  present  no  new  difflcul- 

Alwir  m^ortanee  vaniahea  when  the  extent  of  tho 
space  over  which  'they  are  distributed  (thirty  dejn«« 
of  taigitude)  is  00Bsidei^l.»  vwyqegnw 


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74:         HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

*  According  to  Berry  man  and  Dayman .  both^  .the 
ocean  in  its  deepest  part  on  this  plateau,  measured  but 
alittle  over  two  thousand  fathoms,  or  twelve  thousand 
feet-^  depth  of  not  much  over  two  miles.    This  is  ^  ^^^ 
not  great,  compared  with  the  enormous  d^ths  in  oter  j ; 
part^  of  the  Atlantic  ;*  yet  that  it  is  someihing.m^y  be  ... 
•  realized  from  the  fact  that  if  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe  were 
here  "  cast  into  the  sea,"  it  would  sink  oilt  of  sight, 
island,  mountain  and  all,  while  even  the  lofty  head  of, 
Mont  Blanc  would  be  lifted  but  a  few  hundM  feet 

above  the-»waves.  ■  .     • 

TUe  only  exception  to  this  uniform  depth,  Ues  about, 
two  hundred  miles  off  the  coast  of  Ireland,  where 
witbin  a  space  of  about  a  dozen  mUes,  the  depth  sank 
from  five  hundred  and  ^y  to  seventeen  hundred  and 

" '  *  "  The  ocean  bed  of  the  Nirth-Atlanticl^  ft  curious  study ;  in  somo 
'^>arU  furrowed  by  currents,  in  others  presenting  banks,  the  accumula.  ,  ■ 
.:>  tious  perhaps  of  the  dfibris  of  these  ocean  rivers  during  countless  ages.     ■ 
To  the  west,  tl!e  Gulf  Stream  pours  along  in  ft  bed  froi||^ne  mile  to  ft 
toile  and  a  half  in  depth.    To  the  east  of  this,  and  south  of  the  ^at 
Banks,  is  a  basin,  eight  or  ten  degrees  square,  whefethe  bottom  attains  ^  ,, 
'     a  greater  depression  than  perhaps  the  highest  ,peak3  o£  t1»  Andes  or 
Himalaya-*ix  miles  of  line  have  failed  to^teaoh  the  bottom.  iTaking  ft 
profile  of  tho  Atlantic  basin  in  our  own  latitude,  we  find  a  far  greater 
depre«8ion  than  anymountain  elevation  on  our  own  continent.    Four 
"ot  five  Alleghanies  woultf  have  ta  be  piled  on  ea<|^ther,  aiid  on  them 
.  .    added  Fremont'.  Peak,  before  their  'point  would  f owltself  above  tb« . 
'surface.    Between  the  Azores  and  the  mouth  S^Jll^'g"'  ^  ^ 
"   •SeiSeftto^j»«tttOireBT«*-'*  -         ;t*kl;*  ^—  -       -= 


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HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPHi"       Y5 

fifty  fathoms  I  "  Intvl4o  48'  west,"  says.Dayman,  "  we 
^  have  five  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  rock,  and  in  15°  6 ' 
west  we  ha,ve  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  ooze. 
This  is  the  greatest  dip  in  the  whole  oceanv"  "  In 
little  more  than  ten  m'fles  of  distance  a  change  of 
depth  occurs,  amounting  to  seventy-two  hundred  feet." 
This  seems  indeed  a  tremendous  plunge,  especially  off 
from  the  hard  rock  into  the  slime  of  the  sea. 

'^he  same  sudden  declivity  was  noticed  by  Berry- 
man,  ari4  has  been  observed  in  the  several  attempts  \a 
lay  the  cable.    Thus  in  thesecond  expedition  of  1858, 
V  as  thA  Agamemnon  was  approafehing  the-  coast  of  Ire- 
land, We  read  in  t^e  report  of  her  voyage:  "About 
•five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  steep  submarine  moun- 
tain wljich  divides  the  telegraphicr  plateau  from  the 
Irish  coast,  -w^as  reached ;  and  the  sudden  shallowing 
of  the  water  had  a  very  marked  effect  on  the  cable, 
causing  the  strain  on,  and  the  ^ed  of  it,  to  lessen 
.  every  minute.    A  great  deal  of  Sack  was  paid^)iit  to 
.allow  for  inequalities  which  might  exist,  though  undis- 
covered by  the  sounding-line.'! 

^ia  inbmarlne  mountain  was  then  regarded  as  the » 
chief  point  of  danger  in  the  whole  bed  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  as  the  principal  source  of  wi^ety  !ri  laying  a' 
cabfq  ag|b£fs  the  ocean.    Yet,  aftet  ^^  a  descent  or 
ascent  ^  lesfif  than  a  mile  and  a  l^alf  iif  t«nt^ile8,'ia  . 
^ui  impassable  gmdei'  Md»  reient  wpp^ngs  kp™ 


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76         HISTORY  OP  TBK  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPg. 


duce  this  still  farther.  Captain  Hoskins,  R  K,  haa 
since  made  a  second  survey,  and  with  results  much 
more  favorable.  The  side  of  the  mountain,  it  is  now 
said,  is  not  very  much  steeper  than  Holborn  Hill  in 
London,  of  Murray  Hill  in  New- York.*  But  perhaps 
the  best  answer  to  fears  on  this  point,  is  the  fact  that  in 
1857, 1|g58,  and  1865,  the  cable  passed  over  it  without 
difl&culty.  In  1857  the  Niagara  was  a  hundred  miles 
farther  to  sea,  when  tlie  cable  broke.  In  1865  the 
strain  was  not  increased  more  than  a  hundred  pounds. 

•  The  following  is  from  a  recent  article  in  the  London  Times : 
"  The  dangerous  part  of  this  course  has  hitherto  been  supposed  to 
-  be  the  sadden  dip  or  bank  which  occurs  oflf  the  west  coast  of  Ireland, 
and  where  the  vater  was  supposed  to  deepen  in  the  course  of  a  few 
miles  from  about  three  hundred  fathoms  to  nearly  twfl  thousand.    Such 
a  rapid  descent  has  naturally  been  regarded  with  alarm  by  tdegraphio 
engineers,  and  this  alarm  has  led  to  a  most  careful  sounding  survey  of 
the  whole  supposed  bank  by  Captain  Dayman,  acting  under  the  in- 
structions of  the  Admiralty.    The  result  of  this  shows  that  the  sup- 
posed  precipitous  bank,  or  submarine  cliff,  is  a  gradual  slope  of  nearly 
sixty  miles.    Over  this  long  slope  the  difference  between  its  greatest 
height  and  greatest  depth  is  only  eighty-seven  hundred  and  Sixty  feet ; 
so  that  the  average  incUne  is,  m  round  numbers,  about  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  feet  per  ipile.    A  good  gradient  on  a  railway  is  nojjf  get 
erally  considered  to  be  one  in  one  hundred  feet,  or  about  fifty-three  in  a 
mile ;  so  that  the  inclk»e  of  this  supposed  bank  is  only  about  three 
times  that  of  to  ordinary  rwlway.    In  fact,^  far  as  souudinga  cav   ' 
demonstrate  aily  thing,  there  are  few  slopes  in  the  bed  of  the  Atlantic 
«8  Bteep  as  that  of  Holborn  Hill.    In  no  part  is  the  bottom  rocky,  and 

with   the  exception  of  a  few  pillO,  ybJoh   ara   ■hJnyly    only  fH>M,  lyuH, 


^ 


or  Muid  is',to  b«  foand." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOBAPH.  77 

^        Next  to  the  depth  of  the  ocean,  it  was  important  to 
ascertain  the  nature  of  its  bot^m.     What  was  it^a 
vast  bed  of  rock,  the  iron-bound  crust  *of  the  globe 
,     hardened  by  internal  fires,  and  Which,  bending  as  a 
vault  over  the  still  glowing  centre  of  the  earth,  bore 
up  on  Its  mighty  arches  the  weightof  all  the  oceans? 
.  or  was  It  mere  sand  like  the  sea-shore  ?  or  ooze  as  soft 
as  thai  of  a  mill-pond  ?    The  pressure  of  a  column  of 
water  two  miles  high  would  be  equal  to  that  of  four 
hundred  atmospheres.     Would  not  'this  weight  alone 
be  enough  to  crush  any  substance  that  could  reach  ' 
that  tremendous  depth  ?    These  we^  questions  which 
remained  to  be  answered,  but  on  which  kepended  the 
possibihty  of  laying  a  cable  at  the  boitom  of  the  At- 
iantiCk  \ 

By  the  iDgeniou8,coutriTance  of'ti^afenant  Brooka      . 
the  problem  was  solved,  for  we  got  hoi*  of  fagments 
of  the  onte.coating  of  the  8e,j  and  to  our  amazement 
instead  of  finding  the  ocean  bound  ro„nd  with  thick     ' 
nba  of  gramte,  its  inner  lining  was  found  to  be  soft  as 
«  silken  vest    The  Soil  brought  up  from  the  b«ttoq.      ' 
was  not  even  of  the  .hardness  of ,  sand  or  gravel     tt 

w.^  mere  ooze,  like  that  pf  our  rive,^  and  was  as' soft 
V  the  moss  that  clings^,  old,  damp  stones  on  the      , 
nver  s  bnnk     At  first  it  was  thought  bj%Lie„tenant 
BenTidan  to  be  common  cl^,  but  bein.g  carefully  ««. 
■ervHH,  mnd  mibjcrtod  Jo  u  pu^aful  mtetOscoite,  U 


!( 


/     '  . 


'•^4^i«i^-^*?i.&./^,  '    ..jj 


78     ,  Hi;sTORY  6p  the  Atlantic  telegbaph. 


t-fe 


waa  fb«M  to  be  composed  of  myriads  of  shells,  too 
small  to  be  discovered  by  the  naked  eye  I 

This  fact  alone  was  a  revelation.     What  a  story  did 
it  tell  of  the  forms  of  animated  existence  jwhich  fill  the 
sea. J'  "The  ocean  teems  with  life,  we  know.     Of  the 
"four "elements  of  the  old  philosophers — ^fire,  earth,  air, 
and  water — perhaps  the  sea  most  of  ajl  abounds  with 
living  creatures.    The  space  occupied  on  the  surface 
of  our  planet  by  the  different  families  of  animals  and 
their  i'emains  are  inversely  as  the  size  of  the  indi- 
vidual.    The  smaller  the  animal,  the  greater  the  space 
oecupiedt  by  his  remains.     Take  the  elephant  .and  hi$ 
remains,  or  a  microscopic  animal  and  his,  and  com- 
pare them.    ThB  contrast^  as  to  space  occupied,  is  as 
striking  as  thatVf  the  coral  reef  or  island  with  the^ 
dimensions^f  thq  wha,Ie.     The  graveyard  that  would 
hold  the  corallines  i^  larger  than  the  graveyard  that 
would  hold  the  elejOaa^nts."* 

These  little  crektures,  whose  remains  were  th^ 
foUnd  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  probably  did  Sot 
live  there,  for  there  all  is  dark^  and  shells,  like  flowers, 
need  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  all-reviving  sun.  It 
was  their  sepulchre,  but  not  their  dwelling-place.  Pro- 
bably they  lived  near  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  and 
after  their  short  life,  ^nk  to  the  tranquil  watera  bdoi)^. 
What  a  work  of  life  and  death  h^d  been  going  on  for 

*  MwiryV  P>'yBii1iil  ftoograpby.of  th6  Sat. ■    ...l 


.«• 


^  ^4:.,.:._.,: 1: 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  79 

,  -  ages  in  the  depths  of  the  sea  1    Myriads  npon  myriads 
ever  since  the  morning "  of  creation,  tad  been  falling 
like  snow-flakes,  till  their  remains  literally  .covered  th^' 
bottom  of  the  deep. 

Eciually  significant  waa  the  faxjt  that  tkese  shells 
w^re  unbroken.     Not  only  were  they  thel,  but  pre- 
served m  a  perfect  form.    Organisms  the  most  minute 
.md  delicate,  fragile  as  drooping  .flower^,  had  yet  sunk 
^  and  slept  umnj  ured.     The  same  power  which  watches 
.^     over  the  fall  of  a  sparrow  had  kept  ^hese  fraU  and 
tender  things,  and  after  their  brief  existenbe,\had  laid 

-      them  gently  onjhe  bosom  of  the  mightj.ifi6ther  for 

their  eternal  Teipt       '  •    • 

•^he  .bearing  of  this  discovery  on  the  k-oblem  of  a 
submanne  telegraph  was'  obvious.      For  it  too  was- 

.    to  lie  on  the  ocean-bed,  beside  and  among  these  relics 
that  had  so  long  been  drifting  down  upon  the  wa%y 
plain.    And  if  these  tiny  ^shells  slept  there  uhharmed 
surely  an  iron  chojd  might  rest  there  in  safety.  There    ' 
wore  no  swift  currente  down  there  ;  no  rushing  waves 
agitated  that  »unl^  sea.    ajtere  the  waters  moved 
not;  and  there-  might  rest  the  great  nerve  that  was 
to  .pass  fr^p  continent  to  continent.     And  sp  far  aa 
mjury.from  .the  surrounding  elements  was  concerned  '  •  . 
there  it  might  remain,  whispering  the  thoughts  of  • 
successive  generations  of  men,   tiU  the  sea  should 

_,givfl  up  itfl  (\en(\i.   .,  ' 


[t^    \ 


:,J.  .i„ 


•''  •■^; 


■<#l, 


;f-*FW,  T"'" 


'^ 


f 


.fe 


9(^ 


CpAPTEE   VT.' 


Me.  Fiild  G0E8  TO  England  to  oroanizb  the  Ai&ANTic  Tiuoiuni 
Company;      Confers  wi^h  John  W.  Brett.      Seeks  Counsel  of 

EnOINEERS    and    ELECTRICi|IAN«,      RbSCLT   OF"    EXPERIMENTS.      APPHES 

TO  THE  Government  forI  aid.  Better  from  the  Treasury.  En- 
ters INTO  AN  AGIXEMEliT  WI*H  MbSSRS.  BrETT,  BriGHT,  AND 
WhITEHOUSE    to    FOKM  a   <pOMPANY.      ThB    ENTERPRISE    BROUGHT    BE- 

FOM  THE  British  PoBLiaj  Capital  raised 'and  Company  ohgan- 
IZKD.  Choice  of  a  Boa^d  of  DmscTORa.  Contract  fob  thm 
Cable. 


i'-' 


Up  to  this  time  the  telegraph,  which  was  destined 
to  pass  the  sea,  had  beien  purely  an  Americaii  enter- 
prise. It  had  been  beg^n,  and  for  over  two  3'ears  had 
been  carried  on,  wholly  by  American  capital.  Save 
the  few  shares  held  by  Mr.  Brett,  which  are  hardly 
enough  to  be  counted  aq  exception,  not  a  dollar  had 
beeu  raised  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Indeed 
we  might  add,  not  a  doUar  had  been  raised  on  tJiis, 
outside  of  the  little  circle  in  which  the  scheme  had  its 
origin.  No  stock  or  bonds  were  put  upon  the  mar- 
ket ;  no  man  was  asked  for  a  subscription.  If  they 
wanted  money,  they  drew  their  checks  for  it.  At  one 
time,  indeed,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
-w^-^-Josuoujj tniii 'tuey  wcK  ftl  oiico  taken  ~ 


V 


i«W",-»,»{«l»«»»H 


"r"*^t- 


■)S,C*-fv,    **!■>'   -•     '4.      t7      1*      (f« 


-       ™™'^°^™AT1ATOOTEI,EORAPH.  81 

•      ""nor  in  the  event  of  sucoeas. 

■taw  afl<,mpt  Wa,  to  be  made  to  eairy  the  TeCph 

wort.  Aoooringly,  in  the  summer  of  18)S6  after  fi^ 
.^hmg  all  .hat  he  oould  do  in  America  mK  ^iT 
ed  with  h,s  family  for  England.  The  very  d  ;  be^" 
been-barked  he  had|the  pleasure  to  see  his^iV^r 
lieutenant  Berryman,  off  on  his  second  voyage  » 
mate  soundings  across  the  Atlantic 

wiAjT""""  !!'  '°°«''"  ■"  '"""'  ^'-  Jo'"'  W.  Brett, 
wuh  whom  m  h,s  two  former  visfe,to  England  he  h«^ 

<d«.dy  discussed  the  project  of  a' Telegraph  across 
^  c^ean,  and  found  him  p^mpt  with^i^  cot3 

^mdancholy  satisaetion  to  refer  to  one  and  an  ther 
worker  m  th.s  enterprise  who  lived  „ot  tK,  see  its 
la^  and  g^atest  triumph.  M^BreU,  like  Benymat 
Uf^'of  But  he  did  nof^to  his  grave  tluX^ 
hfe  of  usefulness  and  honor.    He  was  one  of  &  Jen 

ael-who  behoved  in  the  marvellous  «,hievements  yei 
to  be  wrought  by  hnmaa  in.uuUon,  turning  to  ^ 


v.. 


/  \:i 


■■■^■f 


.1 


Ml  k:<t^'tI'}iiM^'j.±if':': 


.^\ 


rtlllKWff*i»wlfl 


■•V 


82 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAm%C  TELEGRAPH. 


/ 


\ 


sei;^vice  of  man  the  wonders  of  scientific  discovery. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  see  the  boundless  possibil- 

ities  of  the  telegraph,  and  to  believe  that  what  had 

passed  over  the  land  might  pass  under  the  sea.    He 

was  the  first  to  lay  a  cable  across  the  British  Channel, 

and  thus  to  bring  into  instantaneous  cdmmunication 

the.  two  great  capitals  of  Europe  — an  achievement 

which,  though  small  compared  with  what  has  since 

been  done,  was  then  so  marvellous,  that  the  intelli- ' 

gence  of  its  success  was  received  with  surprise  Vnd  in- 

cre<Julity.     Many  could  not  and  wpwld  not  believe  it. 

Even  aiter  messages  were  received  in  Loi«on  from 

Paris,  there  were  those  who  declared  that  it  was  an 

imposition  on  the  public,  with  as  much  obstinacy  as 

some  still  persist  that  a  messagoknever  passed  over  the 

Atlantic  Telegraph  I 

This  friendship  of  Mr.  Brett— bdth  to  the  enter|>ris6 

and  to  himself  personally— remained  to"  the  last.  Jin 

•every  voyage  to  England  Mr.  Field  found— however 

others  doubted  or  despaired— Ihat  Mr.  Brett  ^aa  al- 

\^ay8  the  same— full  of  hope  and  confidence. »  Only 

two  years  ago,  yyten  they  met  in  London,  he  was  un- 

shaken  in  faith,  and  urgent  to  have  the  great  enterprise 

renewed.   That  ]^  was  hot  to  |se«.    But,  though  he  has 

passed  away,  his  work  remains;  and  now  that  two 

hemispheres  are  rejoicing  over  a  fresh  triumph  of  the 

Atlantic  Telegraph,  tliey  should  remember  his  emii^eot 


\ 


X' 


A' 


( 


X 


ery. 

ibil. 

bad 

He 

nel, 

tion 

lent 

ince 

elli-  • 

J0^ 

in- 

i  it. 

^om  o 

\ 

an 

\ 

r  as 

the 

rise 

A  .  ■- 

^ 


j^kiHtt. 


HISToiv  or  THE  ATLAKTIO  TELEQBAPH. 


63 


serrices.    And  therefore  do  wejause  at  his  name-to 
.         '»y  °«  l>»nble  tribute  on  the  grave  of  this  true-heart, 
ea  -Hinglishman. 

To  Mr.  Brett,  therefpi^e,  he  went  first  to  consult  in 
regard  to  his  great  project  of  a  telegraph  across  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.     This  was  a  part  of  the  design  em- 
braced in  the  original  organization  of  the  New-York 
Newfoundl^d,  anctLon'don   Telegraph  Company- 
and  when  Mr.  Field  went  to  England,  he  was  empow^ 
ered  to  receive  subscriptions  to  that  Company,  so  as 
to  enlai^e  its  capiteVand  thus  include  in  one  corpora- 
tion  the  whole  line  from  New-York  to  London ;  or  to  ' 
-organize  a  new  company,  wbicjl^ould  lay  a  cable  ' 

across  the  Atlantic,  and  there  jc^n  tho  Newfoundland 
'■    line.        /       .  ' "  ■     ■•' 

Bat  before  an  ente^rise  fti  vast  aid  so  new  oouM 
be  commended  to  the  comA,e.^ial  publib.of  Great 
Britem,  there  ,«^ei«  .many  detaita  to  be  setded.    The 
mechameal,^d  scientifie  problem^  already  referred  to  ■ 
whether aoableooujd  be  laid  a3os3.the  oeean;  «nd  • 
*rf  so.  whether,!*  could  W  worj,^  to  be  consider."  ■ 
ed  anew.    She  opinioBs  of  Lieutenant  Maury  and  of    ' 
Prow  Mors^were  published  in  England,  and  ar-' 
rested  the  attention  of  sciejWWen.  \Ba't  John  Bull      ' 

.sslow.afbeKandadcedtty^oroeJacnce.    The 
™'  to  bo  uaiKen  rashly.    As  yet  v 

ran- .^- ■.:■■'  ■    ~    ■   "■*■ 


".  7 

thing  was  to6 


^e  possibility),  of  a 


f  '■ 


'7 


\  ' 


.1*^ '%" 


"^^m- 


itr>  • 


'■'■"!?f|^{r' 


64 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLKQRAPHf> 


§■ 


telegraph  across  the  ocean.    The  longest  Une  which  had 

heen,  hid  was  three  hundred  miles.    This  caution,  Which 

IS  a  national  trait  of  Englishmen,  will  not  be  regarded 

^  a  fault  by  those  yho  consider  tfiat  in  proporti(|>n  as 

,  they  are  slow  to  embark  in  any  new  enterprise^,  are 

they  resolute  and  determined  in  carrying  it  out.  \ 

To  .resolve  these  difficult  prof>lems,  Mr.  keld 
sought  counsel  of  the  highest  engineering  auth<iities 
of  Great  Britain,  and  of  her  most  eminent  scieiitific 
J°®°-  ^^"^  ^°°°'»  air  showed  the  deepest  inljerest 
^^  ^^y^H?  ^^  gave  it  freely  the  benefit  of  ^their 

'  FirSf^o  the  possibility  of  laying  a  eable  iii  the 
deep  sea,  Mr.  Field  had  witnessed  one  attempt  o^  the 
kind— that  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  the  yeat  be- 
fQre— an  attempt  which  had  failed.  His  experience, 
therefore,  was  not  very  encouraging.  If  they  found 
so  much  difficulty  in  laying  a  cable  seventy  miles 
long,  how  could  they^h^pv^tiHi^neZf  two  thousand 
miles  across  the  stormy  Atlantic  ?  | 

This  was  a  question  for  the  Engia^era.  To  solve  the 
problem,  required  experiments  almost  without  nu^bpr. 
I^  was  now  that  the  most  important  services  wer6  ren- 
dered by  Glass,  EUiot  &  Co.,  qf  London,  a  firm  f  hfeh 
had  begun  within  a  few  years  the  manufacture  of  sea- 
cabla,^and  which  was  to  write  its  nime  in  all  tlje'wa. 
ters  of  the  world:  Aided  by  the  skill  o^flheir  admir- 
abia  engineer,  Mr.  Canning,  they  now  m^nnf^ty^ 


; 


85 


"  "^ot  leas  cordial  waS  Mr.  Bninrf  »  „.       s 
s"«?Ke.tionsT,       f '  «ndert,kiog,  and  made  many 

bading  the  Great  Eastern  ■  and  otn      .  ™  *'""' 
Field  down  to  Blaokwaul'  !°  •?      .'^  *■"  ""^  *• 

.  to  the  r^^  ^Xw  -I  Z  ri  "^''^ ■""■« 
oftheTfiWes-  "ThJ  t^-  ^^  ""^  ""=  ''"■'''' 
cable,"    Sdid  h  r  St  '^"  '"^  ^'"'"«° 

»%  would  he  e„p,„yef;\rrjr:rt'r 

uu  uy  eiectricity  m  impossible      On   lor,^ 

i^jiuia  wnere  the  wire  passes  throuffli  th^  ;r«« 
stapiea  by  which  it  i.  support,  and  t^TZ^i^l    '  ' 

««S%d-^p^,  udes,  »me  materially  b^ind 


*  rt-.*. 


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86         HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAOTIO  TElEaBAPH. 

Which  Should  insulate  a  conductor  sunk  in  water  «a 
completely  a.  if  it  were  raised  in  air.  But  ffhat  could 
thus  inclose  the  lightning,  and  keep  it  fast  while  flv. 
ing  from  one  continent  to  the  other  ? 

Here  again  it  seemed  as  if  Bivine  wisdom  had  an- 
fcpated  the  coming  of  this  great  enterprise,  and  pro- 
vided m  the  realm  of  nature  every  material  needed 
for  .ts  success.  It  was  one  of  the  remarkabB,  or  mth- 
er  should  we  say,  Providential  discoveries,  which  pre- 
pared  the  way  for  this  final  achievemenl,  that  only  a 

of  the  Malayan  archipelago,  a  substance  till  then  un- 
known  to  the  world,  but  which  answered  completely" 
th,s  new  demand  of  science.    This  wa.  Gutta-Perch^ 
a  substance  impenetrable  by  water,  and  which  is  Z 
the  same  tune  a  bad  conductor  of  electricity ;  so  that 
.t  forms  at  once  a  perfect  protection  and  insulation  to 
a  telegraph  passing  through  the  sea:    In  the  experi 
ments  that  were  made  t«  test  the  value  of  this  mate- 
rial m  the  grander  use  to  which  it  was  to  be  applied 
no  man  render«i  heanier  service,  or  showed  a  more 
enlightened  zeal,  than  Mr.  Samuel  Statham,  of  the 
I^ndon  Gutta-Percha  Works-a  name  to  be  always    ' 

_  The  mechanical  difficulties  removed,  and  the  insula- 
tK.n  provided,  therereniained  yet  the  great  scientiiio 


.  1 

1 

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I 

1 

i 

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r^^.:^.'>-V.- 


4 


% 


THE  ATLAOTIO  TELMEAPH.       _87 

■      of  what  use  we^r  if  tif   ,    .     ""^^  '^^  ^  ''"' 
-    '•^^'tedark^^-"  ""  ''e'"-°S  should  aferink 

"emen  who  we^  "^''™'  7""""^-^  "^'^  two  ^n- 

;».:  Hter;^^ir?^»^";oo.p. 

k^ghted  for  his  nart  fn  i  7  ^^^'  afterward 

ably  known  ia  England  IlT""''' '~*''^™'- 
■     and  the  ktter  for  £  1'   f  ™"  "  ""  ^"«'"^■•• 

ing.    He  had  inventor?  or,  •    .    """^'^^^^  ^f  telegraph- 

-min  and  «;riTr:~  ^r^"  *»- 

though  Bubmarine  eabfe     bL    .'^       °"™°'^ 
were  full  of  the  ardor  „f     ■  ^  gentlemen 

«-t  a  triumph  might  i:  '°w :  tC'^' "' " 
jor.H«.ew:4:r.arrrr-''- 

-Jon.  and  g,„  hi.  invaluable  ;Tr  to  th  '"  '"°- 

"hioh  were  made  to  d.  J        1  ^perimente 

-■-^mm.as-gfwt  distances  under  the 


*y -^•.ta.,"j     >' ' 


*■ 


. »  ♦-• 


88         HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

sea.    The  result  of  his  experimenta  he  communicatea" 
in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Field : 


"London,  FiVk  o'clock  x.u., 
"  October  «,  1866. 


1/ 


"My  Dear  Sir:  As  the  electrician  of  the  ]^ew- 
York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  jDom- 
panj,  it  is  with  the  highest  grati#cation  that  I  have  to 
apprise  you  of  the  result  of  our  experiments  of  this 
morning  upon  a  single  continuous  conductol-  of  more 
than  two  thousand  miles  in  extent,  a  distance  you  will 
perceive,  sufficient  to  cross  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  from 
Newfoundland  to  Ireland. 

"  The  admirable  arrangements  made  at  the  Magnet- 
ic Telegraph  Office  in  Old  Broad  Street,  for  connecting 
ten  subterranean  gutt^-percha  insulated  conductors,  of 
over  two  hundred  miles  each,  so  as  to  give  one  con- 
tinuous length  of  more  than  two  thousand  mi^es  dur-  ' 
ing  the  hours  of  the  night,  when  the  telegraph  ^  not 
commercially  employed,  furnished  us  the  means  of 
conclusively  settling,  by  actual  experiment^  the  ques- 
tion of  the  practicability  as  well  as  the  practicality*  of 
telegraphing  through  our  proposed  Atlantic  cable. 

•  Profeawr  Morse  is  fond  of  the  distinction  between  the  words  prto. 
tical  Old  pr«Ucable.  A  thing  may  be  pr»cUcable,  that  is,  possible  of 
•ccompUshment,  when  it  is  not  a  pracUcal  enterprise,  that  is,  one  whioh 
can  be  worked  to  advantage.  He  here  argues  that  the  Atiantio  Tele, 
graph  18  both  practicable  or  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  a  wise.  ma. 
^Ical  undertaking  .  ^^ 


# 


'♦ 


■,  y 


V 


"i    l"'.*,?!" 
"1»'% 


H'STOBr  0.  THB  AT^^c  T..KGB.PH.         89 

_  "  Thia  result  had  been  thrown  into  «,n>e  doubt  bv 
the  discovery,  more  than  t«ro  yeara  sint  7  ^ 
phenomena  upon  subterran^Cnd  ub^  "'^'■' 
daotor^  and  had  att^oted  the  attentL "fT,     •''™" 

cabilii^  r.e  ti.   ^         ^rtamty  «e  commercial  practi- 
oaouity  of  the  Ocean  Telegraph. 

"I  am  most  happy  to  inibrm  too  that  as  »  ., 
mg  result  of  a  long  series  of  .1  ?       ""^°" 

perimen..  under  tb^Z2ZjLw^'T'  *^  ^" 
^,Bngh,.hi^Xwit„es:::^ifl~~^  ' 
ftenducfon  coils  and  receiving  magneH  as  modffled      ' 
by  these  gentlemen,  wer«  made  to  actnat^  onHr 
"wording  instruments -have  m  JT     .^  ^ 

-.ved  all  do'ub.  of  the  ,^L:^^  TT^''  ''■ 


eo 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


register,  (whicli  speed,  you  will  perceive,  ia  at  a  rate 
commercially  advantageous,)  these  results  were  accom- 
.plished  notwithstanding  many  disadvantages  in  our 
arrangements  of  a  temporary  and  local  character-dis- 
advantages which  will  not  occur  in  the  use  of  our  sub- 
if  I  \  manne  cable. 

"Having  passed  the  whole  night  with  my  active 
and  agreeable  collaborators.  Dr.  Whitehouse  and  Mr 
iJnght  without  sleep,  you  will  excuse  the  hurried  and 
brief  character  of  this  not^,  which  I  could  not  refrain 
from  sending  you,  since  our  experiments  this  morning 

settle  the  scientific  and  .commercial  points  of  our  en! 
terprise  satisfactorily./ 

"  Vith  respect  an4  esteem,  your  obedient  servant,  ^  . 
/'        "Samuel  F.  B.  Morse.         ' 

To  CTRU8  W.  FIK.D,  Esq.,  Vice-Prendent  of  the  KewYork    Neu.   ' 

The  following,  written  a  week  later,  confirms  the 
impressions  of  the  former : 

^  London,  OctobervlO,.  1856 
"M17DEAR  Sir:  A^r  having  given  the  deepest 
consideration  to  the  subject  of  our  successful  experi. 
ments  the  other  night,  whVn  we  signalled  clearly  and 
rapidly  tbroulT  an  unbrol^n  circuit  of  subt^ri^nean 
conducting  wire,  pver  two  thousand  miles  in  length  I 


ceedinff  that  fT.r^     i.      i  •  '       ^^^'^®  °ot  ex- 

Ireland  to  Newfonn^i     7  ^       telegraph  from 

e.-.ht  .0  ten  ::i"xi::  ^^'  -^ "  ^^^^  ^^^'» 

ing  mtes  of  .peed  T-.^l      '     "^'  """''^  ••  "'^  '""•J- 

ahisrher  ratf^^thnr.  ♦;,•    •  "'"^  P^ve  that  even 

o  tr  rate  than  this  is  attainable.     Take  if  1.. 

three  minutes;     '  '  ^  ^^^"tJ-^ofd  message  in 

;;Twentj such  messages  in  the  hour; 

It  ?s,  however,  evident  to, me   that  hrr  • 
^Peea  in  the  transmission  or  our  messages.       "^   "^ 


f 


t'  >  * 


.      92         HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

"  As  to  the  structure  of  the  cable  itself,  the  last  spe^ 
cimen  which  I  examined  with  you  seemed  to  combine 
so  admirably  the  tfecessary^  equalities  of  strength,  flex- 
ibility, and  ligh%i^ssrwith  perfect  insulation,  that  I 
^  can  no  longer  have  any  misgivings  about  the  ease  and 
safety  with  which  it  will  be  submerged 

"  In  one  word,  the  doubts  are  resolved,  the  difficul- 
ties overcome,  s^ess  is  within  our  reach,  and  the 
great  ^at  >f  fe  ^ntury  must  shortly  be  accom- 
plished. 

"  I  would  urge  you,  if  the  manufacture  can  be  com- 
.A&.*.  P^®^*  ^t^^*^  t^e  time,  (and  all  things  are  possible 
now,)  to  press  forward  the  good  work,  and  not  to  lose 
the  chance  of  laying  it  during  the  ensuing  summer. 

"Before  the  close  of  the  present  month,  I  hope  to 
be  again  landed  safely  on  the  other  side  of  the  water, 
and  I  full  well  know,  that  on  all  hands  the  inquiries 
of  most  interest  with  which!  shall  be  met,  wUl  be 
about  the  Ocean  Telegraph. 

"Much  as  I  have  enjoyed  my  European  trip  this 
year,  it  would  enhance  the  gratification  which  I  have 
S  derived  from  it  more  than  I  can  describe  to  you,  if  on 
my  iretum  to  America,  I  could  be  the  first  bearer  to 
my  friends  of  the  welcome  intelligenq^  that  the  great 
work  had  been  begun,  by  the  commencement  of  the 
manufacture  of  the  cable  to  connect  Irelaod  with  the 
line  of  the  New-Yorl^  Newfoundland,  and  London 


A  , 


..,..y-::3tALm>M 


HiarORT  OF  THE  ATLAHTIO  TELEQHAPH.         93 

"Kespeotfully,  your  obedient  semnii 
"ToCT.mwp      i         "  SA"f EL  p.  a  MoSSE. 

Theae^perimeptsand  others  removed  the  doubts 
■     of  scientific  men.    Profi.«inr  l?™j       •        . 

lanr  of  .!,«  .  J  J-roiesaor  Faraday,  m  spite  of  the 
iaw  of  the  retardation  of  electricity  on  long  circuit/ 
which  It  was  said  he  had  discovered  and  wMch  wo2 
mider  rt  imp<»sible  *o  wort  a  line  rf  suoh  e  Jh  1 
f^mfeland  toNewfoundhmd,  now  declared  hffuU 
convcon  that  it  was  within  the  bounds  of  po^ibi,  J 

■■>   te  flight  from  the  morning  sun,  yet  it  would  be" 

wf  *  ™  ''°''  '™K  ■'  "^W  tote  forthe  elec 

tncity  to  pass  from  London  to  New  V„,t  i. 

ed:  "Possibly  one  second  I"  ' '"'  '"^"^'• 

Being  thus  fortified  by  the  highest  scientific  and 

eng^"-„"g  authorities  the  projectors  of  an  ocean  tele- 

S?*"  ''"'f  "'"'  '"^'^  ^  "ri-g  it  before  the  British 
public,  and  to  see  what  support  could  be  found  for  4e 
und^ng  from  the  English  Government  and  1 
English  people. 

^^dfi^t  addressed  himselfte  the  Government       . 


Without  waitint.  IK,  ^k    re  i*ovemment 

wjtflout  waiting  for  the  Company  to  be  tally  org^ 


j^j 


94         HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

ized,  with  true  American  eagerness  and  impatience,  he 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Admiralty  asking  for  a  fresh  sur- 
vey  of  the  route  to  be  traversed,  and  for  the  aid  of 
Government  ships  to  laj  the  cable.    He  also  addressed 
a  letter  to  Lord  Clarendon,  stating  the  large  design 
which  they  had  conceived,  and.asking  for  it  the  aid 
which  was  due  to  what  concerned  the  honor  and  in- 
terest of  England.    The  reply  was  prompt  and  cour- 
teous, inviting  him  to  an  interview  for  the  purpose  of 
a  fuller  explanation.    Accordingly,  Mr.  Field,  with 
Professor  Morse,  called  upo^W  at  the  Foreign  Of- 
fice, and  spent  an  hour  in  conversation  on  the  pro- 
posed undertaking.     Lord  Clarendon  showed  great  " 
interest,  and  made  many  inqairies.     He  was  a  little 
startled  at  the  magnitude  of  the  scheme,  and  the  con- 
fident  tone  of  the  projectors,  and  asked  pleasantly: 
"But,   suppose  you  <hnH   succeed?      Suppose  you 
make  the  attempt  and  fail— your  cable  is  lost  in  the 
sea-then  what  will  you  do?"     "Charge  it  to  profit 
.and  loss,  and  go  to  work  to  lay  another,"  was  the 
■  quick  answer  of  Mr.  Field,  which  amused  him  as  a 
truly  American  reply.    In  conclusion,  he  desired  him 
to  put  his  request  in  writing,  and,  without  committing 
the  Government,  encouraged  him  to  hope  that  Britain 
would  do  all  that  might  justly  be  expected  in  aid  of 
this  great  international  work.    How  nobly  this  pro- 
mifle  was  kept,  time  will  show. 


-■-f— nw----!    rjnj^^^Tim 


HI3T0EY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.         95 

While  engaged  in  these  negotiations,  Mr.  Field  took 
his  family  to  Paris,  and  there  met  with  a  great  loss  in 
the  sudSen  death  of  a  favorite  sister,  who'had  accom- 
panied them  abroad.    Full  of  the  sorrow  of  this  event, 
and  unfitted  for  business  of  any  kind,  he  returned  to 
London  to  find  an  invitation  to  go  into  the  country 
and  spend  a  few  days  with  Mr.  James  Wilson,  then  ' 
Secretary  to  the  Treasury,  and  a  man  of  great  influ- 
ence in  the  British  Government,  at  his  residence  near 
Bath ;  there  to  discuss  quietly  and  at  length  the  pro- 
posed aid  of  the  Governmeilt  to  the  Atlantic  telegraph. 
Though  he  had  but  little  spirit  to  go  among  strangers, 
he  felt  it  his  duty  not  to  miss. such  an  opportunity  to 
advance  the  cause  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  *  Accord- 
ingly he  went;  and  the  result  of  this  visit  waa  the 
following  letter,  received  a  few  days  later : 

"  Treasury  Chambers,  1^^20,  185.6. 
!' Sir:. Having  laid  before  the  Lords  Commissioner 
of  her  Majesty's  Treasury  your  letter  of  the  13th  ul- 
timo, addressed  to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  requesting, 
on  behalf  of  the  New-York,  Newfoundland,  and  Lon- 
don  Telegraph  Company,*  certain  privileges  ftnd  pro- 
tection  in  regard  to  the  line  of  telegraph  which  it  ia 
proposed  to  establish  between  Newfoundland  and  Ire- 
land, I  am  directed  by  their  lordships  toacquaint  you 
that  they  are  prepared  tc^nter  into  a  contract  with 

^^ 


x* 


\ 


. ; 


96 


V' 


'«: 


bsy 


BISTORT  OP  THE   ,„.       ■    ' 

koe  said  TpJ         i.  * 

^-  It  IS  understood  thaf  ♦!,  ' 

fitn^  line  wm  be  (X^Lte""  "^""^  *°  ^ 
fi%  thousand  pounds.  '^^  "^  '"""dred  aj 

■         «»^  favo^bly  to  consider  rf^  ""^  "''^•'^  tat^n. 

.      ""^^  to  furnish  aid  by  L,  ^  '^•?«"  «>»'  may  be 

theoaWe..  ;      '^ '^"' ""^l- in  hyinj,^^ 

^'  The  British  rj 
-"P'etion  of  the  line'^l^  ""^  ""»  '™«of  the' 

■    f*.000)  fourteen  tbou^d  1    f^  "'  *«  '"^  of 
'■-^  «te  of  fou,  p,,  ^„;^^  P°«»da  a  year,  being  „ 

fi^«I  -muneration  fo,,i  ZIT"""^  <=»?'«.  «  « 
«2™»»^  in  the  oon'enn-       """""""^^ofthe 
'^^^  f  "-^i^  messages.    S     """''''<' rl-d  home-  ' 
^'!l  «.e  net  pr<;fits!f  the  Co?'^""^"'  '"  """tmuo 
d^VKJend  of  si.  p„„„ds  J   ^^^''^f  -  ^qual  to  a 

«^U  be  reduced,  to  (£iofoOO)Z  I"  ""'  P"^""-' 
y«^^  for  a  period  of  t^enVflVe  ya^;"™""  ^"""J^  « 

■It  IS,  howev*»r  ,    J  years, 

"■essag^  iT    ''•  ""derstood  that  if  the  a        ' 
_  »Ba^  '"  ">7  year  shall   »,  .u  *^°''«'n>nent 

«k»^  to  the  pubhc,  amoit  to     ,'"''"'  "^-^ 
thereto.  ^  >».  --^le  as  is  e<,„iy^,„, 


*, 


,.>'7   •• 


HISTORY   0^  THE  ATI.ANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  97 

',  "4  That  the  British  Government  shajlbave  a  pri- 
orify  m  the  conveyance  of  their  messag?|i%>ver  tdl 
others,  subject  to  the  exception  only  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  UnJte'd  S^tes^-^n  the  event  of  the^ir^nter- 
mg  into  an  arrangement  with  the  Telegraph  Company 
similar  in  principle  to  that  of  the  British  Government, 
m  which  case  the  messages  of  the  two  Governments 
shall  have  priority  in  the  order  in  which  they  arrive, 
at  the  stations.  ^  '  . . 

"  6.  That  the  tariff  of  charges  shall  be  fixe*  with 
theconsent  .of  the  Treasury,  and  shall  m>t  be  increased  . 
without  such  consent  being  obtained,  as  long  as  tkia 
contract  lasts.        „  ^ 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  obediej^  servant  ' 

"  "James  Wilson. 

"  Cfrus  W.  Field,  Esq,  S/Jermyn  street." 

,  With  this  encouragement  and  promise  of  aid  the 
projectoi:s  of  a  telegraph  across  the  ocean  now  went 
forward  to  organize  a  company  to  carry  out  their  de- 
siga.  Mr.  Field,  o«  arriving  in  England,  h^  entered 
mto  an  agreement  with  Mr.  Brett  to  join  thgir  efforts 
for  this  purpose.  With  them  were  afterward  united 
two  others-Sir  Oharies  Bright,  as  engineer,  a6d  Dr 
Whitehouse,^  electrician.  These  four  ge^lemen  had 
entered  inlo  a  formal  agreen^nt  to  use  th^eir  exertions 


nJ^S^l  f  ew^ompatiy,  Jo±q  called  The  Atka^^o 


i-ii"-. 


'«M^aw*«ri^ 


98         HBTOEr  OP  THE  ATLASTIO  TELEGBAPH. 

■  Telegraph  Company,  the  object  of  whieh  should  be 
.  to  oonhnue  the  existing  line  of  the  New-York,  New- 

-  .     fo^^fl^A-and  London  Telegraph  ■  Company  to  l™. 

and,  by  mating  or  causing  to  be  made  a  submarino 
telegraph  cable  for  the  Atlantic.;' 

t^  tl  '  «^-  T  °°''  "^^  *"  '°"^»'=«  "■«  ^terprise 
W  the  Bm.h  public,  Mr.  Field  issued  a  d«=nlar  i„ 

■  ,     the  name  of  the  Newfoundland  Company,  and  as  its 

T  ce-Pres,de„^  setting  forth  the  great  importance  of 

•sphir       ''°"""'™«"'™  '=«"'««»  tie    two  hemi. 

The  next  step  was  to  raise  the  capital.    After  the 

^£350,000.     This  was  a  large  sum  to  ask  from  a 
pubUo  slow  to  mo.e,  and  .W  lends  a  d„n  T.: 
aa  new-scheme^    But  armed  with  facts  and  figures 
.    w.th  maps  and  estimates,  with  the  opinions  oTen' 

Zt        ir  "r^""^  *'"'  ^f'-  »"*'.  """^e  a  visit 

-  ^"«fcV--e.     I  have  now  before  me  the  pa- 

hdd  ind  the  q^eehea  m«le,  which  show  the  v^ 
^.       with  whch  they  p«hed  their ent^prise.   This  ene^ 
wi^rewariedwithmicces^    The  »s,lt  justified  t.!^ 


'   ■^(J^ 


i\    jt  t   5,  a 


,  ^ISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  99 

« 

oonfldence.  In  a  few  ^ks  the  whole  capital  was 
■  sutenbed      It  had  been  divided  into  th^  ho" 

dred  and  fifty  shares  of  a  thousand  pounds  each.  '  Of 
,4hese  a  hundred  and  one  were  taken  in  London, 

t     IT  "'>™'P<»''  «ki%-«even  in  Glasgow,  tgen' 
ty-e  ght  m  Manchester,  and  ,  few  in  otW  paj^f 
^ngland.    The  gn,ndeur  of  the  design  attracted  pub- 
lie  attention,  and  some  subscribed  solely  from  a  noble 
™h  to  take  part  in  such  »  work.    Among  these,  were 

,^\lT^17  *"'*  ^^  ^^'^■'-  ^'-  Keld  sub- 
^cnbed  £100,000,  and  Mr.  Brett  £25,000.  But  when 
the  books  were  closed,  it  was  found  that  they  had 
more  money  subscribed  than  they  requiped,.so  that  in 
fte  final  d.™,on  of  shares,  there  ^ere  allotted  to  Mr. 
Reld  e.ghty.igh^  and  to  Mr.  Ltt  twelve.'  Mr 
F  eld  s  m,«rest  was  thus  one  fourth  of  the  whole  capi- 
tai  01  the  Company.  ' 

In  taking  JO  large  a  share,  it  was  not  his  intention 
<»  oan^ftfe  heavy  load  alone.  It  was  too  large  a 
propwon  for  one  man.    But  he  took  it  for  his  co«n. 

be  held  m  thw  country,  and  did  not  doubt  from  the 

'1  England,  tfeSfthe  remainder  would  be  at  SnJll 
7^n':^f°^    Had  he  been  able,  on  his  :^ 


rxeixtL^      -.i.^  ■  — -  Ju  wig  matter,  tlus  dy. 

'•=*~»«««»rrm^mv«^een  ,«.li»d;  b„t,^we  d«Jl^ 


^J^^i'\'r,\       -3      '      -W«* 


'.a&:. 


m-mmnimmmmnm, 


f,  - 


• 


100 


HISTOEY  OF  THE  ATLANnJ^TELEaBAPH. 


see,  hardly  did  he  set  foot  in  New,York   hpf       i, 

st^kholder  ia  England  or  CZ^^:  l^Z' 

But  some  may  imagine  that  after  all  thi  t^ 
-aa  not  so  great  as  it  seemed.  I„  ma  ysL^"^!" 
pame.  an  evil  custom  obtain,  of  assigmi^e^' 
jectors  a  certain  portion  of  the  stookl !  1  ^' 
getting  up  a,  „,p,„^_  ^^^^  a„ltrp;a^":i^ 
the  subscriptions  to  sweU  the  capital  ^f""!""''''? 
subscribed,  but  not  mid     «?„  !^  '  ""^^^^ 

tHer  this  I'srge  ^IS^on'^ofT;  ^Z  "'^  "'"'■ 
part  at  least  merely  nomin^?  T„^t  ™  """  " 
that  a  couside^tioX^  gJnt^  J;*;  ^  --■ 

«>d  for  the.  exclusive  righH  but  this  L  a  contiZt 

ll^^blf    ^^''-   ^«""«'«''l'ol«amount 
here  suh,^bed  was  a  tong^  sub^^ptjon.  and  pdd 


.^^  Sr.i. 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH.        101 

in  solid  English  gold.    We  have  now  before  us  the  re- 
ceipte  of  the  bankers  of  the  Company  for  the  whole 
amount,  eightj-eight  thousand  pounds  sterling. 
The  capital  being  thus  raised,  it  only  remained  to 
.  complete  the  organization  of  the  Company  by  the 
choice  of  a  Board  of  Directors,  and  to  make  a  contract 
for  the  cable.    The  Company  was  organized  in  Decem- 
ber, 1866,  by  the  choice  of  Directors  chiefly  from  the 
leading  bankers  and  merchants  of  London  and  Liver- 
pool.    The  list  included  such  honored  names  as  Sam- 
uel Gumey,  T.  H.  Brooking,  John  W.  Brett,  and  T 
A.  Hankey,  of  London ;  Sir  William  Brown,  Henry 
Harrison,  Edward  Johnston,  Eobert  Crosbie,.  George 
Maxwell,  and  C.  W.  H.  Pickering,  of  Liverpool ;  John 
Pender  and  James  Dugdale,  of  Manchester ;  and  Pro- 
fessor  William  Thomson,  LL.D.,  of  Glasgow,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  men  in  this  department  of  Science 
m  Europe.    Associated  with  these  English  Directors 
were  two  of  our  own  countrymen,  Mr.  George  Pea- 
body  and  Mr.  C.  M.  Lampson,  who,  residing  abroad 
for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century,  have  done  much  in  " 
the  commercial  capital  of  the  world  to  support  tlie 
honor  of  the  American  name.    Mr.  Peabody's  firm 
subscribed  £10,000,  and  Mr.  Lampson  je2000.    The 
latter  gave  more  time  than  any  other  Director  in  Lon- 
don,  except  Mr.  Brooking;,  the  second  Vice-Chairman  _^ 


TfB^  However,  refired  from  the  Companjr  after  the 


V 


t^!pi.iiu£^\%J'  i£<a   I*  ^  '^'.    4,A\'^\i  ^ui  \ 


u  -M\JS<i 


-? 

^ 

# 


* 


102 


B'STOBY  OP  ^  ^,j^^„  ^LEGBATH. 


-n  desert  "Vp':^''  "^^"^f  "^  "■■^  S-Ue- 

business  oon<.n,ro/Cw„°re"v:ff '"'.'  ™-^  ""^« 

P«sent  at  almost  eve:^  Z^  ^tf .l  T  '^  "^ 

ic^  we  should  need  to  s^^rf'the  ,  '""  •*"'- 

Directo:.    The  whole  C''^^^^'^^''^'^' «■« 

»-e  spirit.    AU  gave. hoi. IrTeJrth^"'""'^ 

nation,  and  their  courage  bo«,  unTnl  '^'"^^'• 

-»-  ^--didan;bii7o;::r:'^'''''^ 

enterprise  co^itted  to  their  .r^t  "^^  "  ^' 

This  was  Mr.  George  sZj^  ^  "  *^*  P°^ 

The  Company  being  thus  in  workinir  o,vl. 
«eded  to  form  a  contraot  f„(.  ,.    "'""8  "'^e'".  Pf* 
cable  to  be  laid  ^ZTa^^  Z"^"  °'  *• 
the  pro^r  form  auB  size  rf  the  eaUrTTr"'"'" 
»«bj«,t  of  constant  experiments^  tI;   fj^  '''' 
'o.^^binetheg^^C-J^y-Lt; 


V     ;> 


^;^f^   A^tAly       otti  <4-^'-4^^-"^'^ 


^-:^-f  "j-^4lf  ^ 


.mi:£l 


I *^«-?  sv-  i  \  y*-f     -\  *"    "  ^v;  '^■^'.^  y-jp^N 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAliTTIC  TELEGKAPH.       103 

ness  and  flexibility.    It  must  be  strong,  or  it  would 
snap  m  the  process  of  laying.    Yet  it  would  ndt  do  io 
have  It  too  large,  for  it  would-  be  unmanageable.    Kr 
Brett  had  already  lost  a  cable  in  the  Mediterranean 
chiefly  from  its  bulk.     Its  si^e  and  stiffness  made  it 
liard  to  unwind  it,  while  its  eriormous  weight,  when 
once  it  broke  loose,  caused  i^  to  run  out  with  fearful 
velocity,  till  it  waa  soon  lost  in  the  sea.     It  was  only 
the  year  before  that  this  accident  had  occurred.    It 
was  in  September,  1856,  in  laying  the  cable  from  Sar-  ■ 
dmia  to  Algeria.    AH  was  going  on  well,  untH  sud- 
denly, "about  two  miles,  weighing  sixteen  Ipns,  flew 
out  with  the  greatest  violence  in  four  or  five  minutes 
flying  round  even  when  the  drums  were  brought  to  a 
dead  stop,  creating  the  greatest  alarm  for  the  safety  o" 
the  men  in  the  hold  and  for  the  vessel."    This  was 
partly  owing  to  the  character  of  the  submarine  siirface 
over  which  they  were  passing.    The  bottom  of  the 
Mediterranean  is  volcanic,  and  is  broken  up  into  moun- 
tarns  and  vaUeys.    The  cable,   doubtless,   had  just 
passed  over  some  Alpine  height,  and  was  now  de- 
scending  into  some  awful  depth  below ;  but  chiefly  it 
.was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  great  size  and  bulk  of 
the  cable  made  it  unmanageable.     This  waa  a  warn- 
ing to   the  Atlantic  Company.      The  point   to  be 
aimed  at  was  to  combine  the  flexibility  of  a  com 
-non  ship's i-^^*-^ 


,»•" 


'1%       ■      '" 


^^^nmWWmnT  These  cor^ 


»- 


^ ^  j£r*  .siji-*..ii*4rv 


.-a. 


..^!.^.^.<^^^i^s^%iA,      i 


^  -f 


'^■ 


104      HISTORr  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH 

dituans  were  thouglit  to  be  united  in  the  form  that  was 
adopted  *    A  contract  was  at  once  made  for  the  manu- 

•roR«  AND  Stbucturk  OF  THE  CABi.K._On  hls  return  to  America, 
Mr.  F.eld  published  a  letter,  in  answer  to  many  inquiries  addresr  to 
him,  m  which  he  eajs  : 

"  No  particular  conbected  with  this  great  project  has  been  the  sub- 
jec  of  so  much  comment  through  the  press  ris  the  form  and  structure 

:  t :  tr'  "''^- ''  "^-^  '^  ^^"  ^^-^  ^^^^  *^«  ^-toitT: 

not  deeded  upon  a  mattor  so  all-important  to  success,  without  availin-^ 
hemselves  of  the  most  eminent  talent  and  experience  which  could  b: 

1851.  and  advantage  has  been  taken  of  whatever  instruction  this  his- 
tory couhi  furn.h  or  suggest.  Of  the  submarine  cables  heretofore  laid 
down^.thout  enumerating  others,  it  maybe  interesting  to  mention 
ha  the  one  between  Dover  and  Calais  weighs  six  tons  to  the  ml 
that  between  Spezzia  and  Corsica,  eight  ton.  to  the  mile ;  the  wire  laid' 
rom  Varna  to  BalaUlava,  and  used  during  the  lato  war.  I'ess  thalth: 

or  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  is  between  nmeteen  hund.d  pounds  and  one 
on  to  t  e  mile.    This  cable,  to  use  the  words  of  Dr.  Whitehouse,  '  is 
the  result  of  many  months'  thought,  experiment,  and  trial.    Hundreds  of 
specimens  have  been  made,  comprising  every  variety  of  form,  size,  and 
structure,  and  most  severely  tested  as  to  their  powers  and  ca;abiU  il 
and  he  result  has  been  the  adoption  of  this,  which  we  know  I  .^Zl 
aU  the  properties  required,  and  these  in  a  far  higher  degree  than  .n, 
cable.that  has  yet  been  laid.    Its  flexibility  is Lh  Jrma^t  J 
manageable  as  a  small  line,  and  its  strength  such  that  it  will  bea    Z 
water,  over  six  miles  of  its  own  weight  suspended  vertically..    ^^Z 
ducung  i^edium  consists  not  of  one  single  straight  copper-wire  but  «f 
,  .even  ^%  of  copper  of  the  best  quality,  twifted  Z^ZlZ 


.^liis-   4"    ^ 


'ir-",.>'^  i" ' 


t       ' 


(^ 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        105 

facture  of  the  cable,  one  half  being  given  -to  Messrs. 
Glass,  Elliot  &  Co,  of  London,  and  the  other  to  Messrs 
Rg^ewaU  &  Co,  of  Liverpool.  The  whole  was  to 
b^^leted  by  the  first  of  June,  ready  to  be  sub- 
.  merge^-m  the  sea.     The  company  was  organized  on 

the  ninth  of  December,  and  the  very  next  day  Mr. 

Field  sailed  for  America,  reaching  New-York  on  the 

twenty-fifth  of  December,  after  an  absence  of  more 

than  five  months. 

spirally,  and  capable  of  undergoing  great  tension  without  injury.    This 
conductor  is  then  enveloped  in  three  separate  coverings  of  gutta- 
percha, of  the  best  quaUty,  forming  the  cere  of  the  cable,  rfiund  which 
tarred  hemp  is  wrapped,  and  over  this,  the  outside  covering,  consistin-^ 
of  eighteen  strands  of  the  best  quality  of  iron-wire;  each  strand  com! 
posed  of  seven  distinct  wires,  twisted  spirally,  in  the  most  approved 
manner,  by  machinery  specially  adapted  to  the  purpose.    The  attempt 
to  msukte  more  than  one  conducting-wire  or  medium  would  ndl  dnly 
have  increased  the  chances  of  failure  of  all  of  them,  but  would  have 
necessitated  the  adoption  of  a  proportionably  heavier  and  more  cum- 
brous  cable.    The  tensile  power  of  the  outer  or  wire  covering 'of- the 
cable,  being  very  much  less  than  that  of  the  conductor  within  it,  the 
latter  is  consequently  protected  froiy  any  such  strain  aa  can  possibly 
rupture  it  or  endanger  its  insulation  without  aa  entire  fracture  of  th« 
cable." 

6» 


mum. 


CHAPTER    Vn. 

AMKAicAN  Government.      OrposiTiox  in  Congress      Tn.    rl 

JWhw  Mr.  Field  reached  home  from  abroad,  he 
hoped  for  a  brief  respite.    He  had  had  a  pretty  hard 
campaign  during  the  summer  and  autumn  in  England  ' 
and  needed  at  least  a  few  weeks  of  rest;  but  even  that 
was  denied  him.    He  landed  in  New-Tork  on  Christ- 
mas Day,  and  was  not  allowed  even  to  spend  the  New 
year  with  his  family.     There  were  interest  of  the 
Company.m  Newfoundland  whieh   required  imme- 
diate  attention,  and  it  was  important  that  o-ne  of  the 
Birectora  should  go  there  without  delay.    As  usual  " 
U  devolved  upon  him.    He  left  at  onee  for  Boston 
where  he  took  the  steamer  to  Hahfax,  and  theneet,; 
bt.  John  s.    Such  a  voyage  may  be  very  agreeable  in 
summer  but  in  mid-winter  it  is  not  a^IeLt  thing 
to  face  the  storms  of  those  northern  latitudes.    The 
pa^  was  unusually  tempestuous.    At  St.  John's  he 
broke  down,  and  was  put  under  the  care  of  a  ^h_vsi. 


h 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       107 

cian.     But  he  did  not  stop  to  tliink  of  himself     The 
work  for  which  he  came  was  done ;  and  though  tho 
physician  decLircd  it  a  great  risk  to  leave  his  bed  he 
took  the  steamer  on  lier  return,  and  was  again  in  New- 
.  York  after  a  month's  absence-a  montli  of  hardship 
of  exposure,  and  of  suiTering,  such  as  be  had  Ion.  oc- 
'  casion  to  remember.. 

The  mention  of  this  voyage  came  up  a  year  after- 
.    ward  at  a  meeting  of  tlie  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company 
m  London,  when  a  resolution  was  offered,  tenderin-r 
Mr  Field  a  vote  of  thanks  for  "the  great  services  he 
had  rendered  to  the  Company  by  his  untiring  zeal 
^  energy,  and  devotion."  Mr.  Brooking,  the  Vice-Chair' 
man,  had  spent  a  large  part  of  his  life  in  Newfound- 
land, and  knew  the  dangers  of  that  inhospitable  coast 
and  in  seconding  the  resolution  he  said ; 

"It  is  now  about  a  year  and  a  half  ago  since  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  my  friend 
Mr.  Field.    It  was  he  who  initiated  me  into  this  Com- 
pany, and  induced  me  to  take  an  interest  in  it  from  its 
earliest  stage.    From  that  period  to  the  present  I  have 
observed  in  Mr.  Field  the  most  determined  persever- 
ance, and  the  exercise  of  great  talent,  ex^aordinary 
assiduity  and  diligence,  coupled  with  an  amount  of 
fortitude  which  has  seldom  been  equalled.     I  have 
known  him  cross  the  Atlantic  in  the  depth  of  winter 
M  wuhin  twenty-four  hours  after  his  arrival  in  New-~ 


ii-„1JltS 


108 


HISTORY  ,0P  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


York,  having  ascertained  that  his  presence  was  necea-  ' 
sary  in  a  distant  British  colony,  he  has  not  hesitated 
I  at  once  to  direct  his  course  thitherward.     That  colony  ' 
j  is  one  with  which' I  am  intimately  acquainted,  having 
i  resided  in  it  for  upward  of  twenty  years,  and  am  en- 
abled to  speak  to  the  hazard|^d  danger  which  attend  „ 
a  voyage  to  it  in  winter.   ''ifrTV-ield  no  sooner  arrived  ' 
at  New-Yoi<k,  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  than  he 
got  aboard  a  steamer  for  Halifax,  and  proceeded  to  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland.     In  three   weeks  he  accom- 
plished there  a  very  great  object  for  this  Company. 
He  pr&eired  the  passage  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature ' 
which  has  giy^n  to  our  Company  the  right  of  estab- 
hAmg^  %l|ng  qn  those  shores,*  which  ere  long,  I 
hope,,  win  result  inijonnecting  us  with  Ireland.     That 
is  only  one  of  the  acts  which  he  has  performed  with 
ad|esire  to  promote  the  interests  of  tl^is  great  enter- 
prise," etc. 

'^he  very  next  day  after  his  return  from  Newfound- 
land, Mr.  Field  was  called  to  Washington,  to  seek  thfi 
M  of  his  own  Government  to  the  Atlantic^ Tej^raph. 
The  pglish  Government  had  proffered  the  most  gen- 
erou3|  aid,  both  in  ships  to  lay  the  cable,  and  in  an 
annu^  subsidy  of  £14,000.  It  was  on  every  account  • 
desirable  that  this  should  be  met  b^  corresponding 

♦  The  rights  before  conferred,  it  would  seem,  applied  onlj  to  the 
Newfoundland  Companj.  m 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAM.       109 

liberality  on  the  partof -tlie  American  Government. 
Before  he  left  England,  he  had  sent  home  the  letter 
received  from  the  Lords  Oommissioners  of  the  Trea- 
sury; and  thereupon  the  pirectora  of  the  New-York 
Newfoundland,  and  Lond%  Telegraph  Company  had 
inclosed  a  copy  to  the  President,  with  a  letter  asking 
for  the  same  aid  in  ships,|  and  in  an  annual  sum  of 
$70.00g,  [equivale^nt  to  ^14,000,]  to  be  paid  fg>  the 
government  messages,  theater  to  be  conditioned  on 
the  success  of  the  telegraph,  and  to  be  continued  only 
so  long  as  it  was  in  full  operation.     They  urged  with 
reason  that  the  English  Government  had  acted  wiih 
great  liberality-not  only  toward,  the  enterprise,  but 
toward  our  own  Government.     Although  both  ends 
of  the  line  were  in  the  British  possessions,  it  had 
claimed  no  exclusive  privileges,  but  had  stipulated 
for  perfect  equality  between  the  UnitedrStates  and 
Great  Britain.      The' agreement  expressly  provided 
"that  the  British  •Government  shall  have  a  priority 
in  the  conveyance  of  their  messages  ov6r  all  others, 
mhject  to  Ihe  exception  only  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  in  the  event  of  their  entering  into  an  ar- 
'"tongement  with  the  Telegraph  Company  similar  in 
principle  to  that  of  the  British  Government,  in  which 
case  the  messages-of  the  two  governments  shall  have 
priority  %  the  order  in  which  they  arrive  at  the 
stations.  "*"- ""^ : — p— __— — . 


» 


sf' 


/. 


iw' 


> 


110       /riSTORY   OF  THE   ATLANTIC 


TELEr;RAPH. 


■V-;    '/■ 


The  letter  to  tiwi  President  called  attention  to  this 
generous  ofFer-an  offer  which  it  was  manifestly  to 
the  advantage  of  our  Government  to  accept-and 
added :  "  The  Company  will  enter  into  C^ontrqct  with 
*Ue  Government  of  the  United  States  on  the  same 
tcrnis  and  conditions  as  it  has  made  with  the  British 
Government."    They  asked  for  the  same  recognition 
and  aid  in  the  United  States  which  they  had  received 
m  England.     This  surely  was  not  a  very  extravagant 
request:  .  It  wrw  natural  that  American  citizens  sliould 
think  that  in  a  work  begu'n-by  Americans,  and  of 
which,  if  successful,  their  country  would  reap  lar-ely 
the  honor  and  the  advantage,  they  .mighfe«pect'the 
aid  from  their  own  Government  which  they  had  al- 
ready received  from  a  foreign  power.    It:  was,  there- 
fore, not  without  a  mixture  of  surprise  and  mortifica- 
tion that  they  learned  that  the  proposal  in  Congress 
.  had  provoked  a  violent  opposition,  and  that  the  bill 
was  likely  tc^^'  defeated.    Such  was  the  attitude  of 
aflfairs  when  Mr.  Field  returned  from  Newfoundland     ' 
and  which  led  tim  to  hasten  to  WasHingtor,^ 

He  now  found  that  it  was  much  easier  to  deal  with 
the  EngW  than,  with  the  American  Government 
Whatever  may, be  said  of  the  respective  methods  of 
administration,  i^iljigt  .l)e  confessed  that  the  forms  of     ' 
England  ^niisl^^^^^c^,  i,  ^^,  despatch  of   i 
business.  A  contfr*'^"^''-  "^^-   - 


tjy^Loi^^^e^ 


v...»  > 


■r     \ 

.  4 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPn, 

Treasury  without  v^tilig  the  action  of  Parliament. 
The  P^°P««^li»||*Q4,to  two  or  three  intelligent 
offieers  of  |li#c^<«rnWt>-perhap3  even  to  a  single 

'I'^T'^'^^^^^''  '"''^''"'^  '^  ^^""^  ''''^'''''  without 
^  1  tJ^P"'  "^^^^'^  '"  V^ohohle  that  the  actionTf 
fl^e  Fnllh  Goyepnment  was  decided  wholly  by  the 
recommendation  of  Mr.  Wilson,  formed  after  the/ visit 
of  Mr.  Field, 

But  in  our  country  we  do  things  differently.     Here 
It  would  be  considered  a  stretch  of  powe'r  for  any  ad- 
ministration to  enter  into  a  contract  with  a  private 
company-a  contract  binding  the  Government  for  a 
period  of  twenty.five  years/and  involving  an  annual 
appropnation  of  money-without  the  action  of  Con- 
gress.    This  is  a  safeguard  against  reckless  and  extra- 
vagant  expenditure,  but,  as  one  of  the^nalties  we 
pay  for  our  more  popular  form  of  government,  in 
which  every  thing  has  to  be  referred  to  the  people  it 
involves  del^  and  sometimes  the  defeat  of  wise  and 
important  public  measures. 
.^"'^4^^all>v^  confess  it  to  our  shame-another 
€ret  inlK^nce  often  appears  in  America  legislation, 
which  has  defeated  many  an  act  d6manded  by  the 
public  good-the  influence  of  the  Lobby.    This  now 
bega^  to  show  iteelf  in  opposition.      It  had  been 
whispered  in  Washington  that  the  gentlemen  in  New- 


.,,  Jti 


-./ 


Sr-^m 


^' 


^T     r 


112       HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGEAPH. 

rich;  and  a  measure  coming  from  such  a.  source  surely 
ought  to  be  made  to  pay  tribute  before  it  was  aUowed 
to  pass.  This  was  a  new  experience.  Those  few  weeks 
in  Was^gton  were  worse  than  among  the  icebergs 
off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland.  The  Atlantic  Cable 
has  had  many  a  kink  since,  but  never  did  it  seem  to 
be  entangled  in  such  a  hopeless  twist,  as  when  it  got 
among  the  politiciana 

But  it  would  be  very  unjust  to  suppose  that  there 
were  no  better  influences  in  our  Halls  of  Copgress 
There  were  then-as  there  hare  always  been  in  our 
history-some  men  of  large  wisdom  and  of  a  noble 
patnotic  pride,  who  in  such  a  measure  thought  only 
of  tlie  good  of  their  country  and  of  the  triumph  of 
science  and  of  civilization. 

Two  years  afte'r^in  August,   1868 -when  the 

Atlantic  Telegraph  proved  at  laSt  a  reality,  and  the 

'  ]^ew  World  was  full  of  its  fame,  Mr.  Seward,  in  a 

speech  at  Auburn,  thus  referrfed  to  the  ordeal  it  had 

to  pass  through  in  Congress :     . 

"  The  two  great  countries  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
[England  and  America,]  are  now  ringing  with  the 
praises  of  Cyrus  W.  Field,  who  chiefly  has  brought 
this  great  enterprise  to  its  glorious  and  beneficent  con- 
summation.  You  have  never  heard  his  stoiy ;  let  me 
give  you  a  few  points  in  it,  as  a  lesson  that  there  is  no 
_ggpditioix  of  lifeJa  which  a  man,  endowed  mih  native  - 


■  t 


^^"^  0"M  ATLANTIC  TELIGBAPH.       U3 

gem^  «  be^evdent  spirit  and  a  oourag^ua  patience, 
may^not  become  a  bene&otorof  nations  and  of  ^n- 

After  aome  personal  details,  whieh  do  not  eoncern 

,  -^»of  Amencansand  Englishmen,  which  contrib- 
«  d  from  surplus  wealth  the  capital  necessarv  as  a 
basis  for  the  enterprise ;"  and  then  adds  • 

itJ'ff  Tt""  *"  '"^"^^  ""^  "'"^^■"  "■"!  'te  activ. 
t7  of  the  Governments  of  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  Statea    That  was  aUthat  remained.    Such 
consent  and  aetivit,  on  the  part  of  some  o.e  g.at  na- 
.on  of  Europe  was  all  that  remained  needfuf  for  Co- 
umbus  when  he  stood  re^y  to  bring  a  new  contLcm 
forward  as  a  theatre  of  the  world's  civilization.    But 
m  each  case  that  effort  was  the  most  difficult  of  all 
Cyrus  W.  Keld,  by  assiduity  and  patience,  C  1 
cured  consent  and  conditional  engagement  on  the  part 
of  Great  Bntam,  and  then,  less  than  two  yeara  ago  he 
reparr^i  to  Washington.    The  Presidenf  and  W 
^  of  State  individually  favored  his  p.^l.^^ 
but  the  jeaIous.es  of  parties  and  sections  in  Oongres^ 
forbade  them  to  lend  it  their  official  sanction  and  pa^ 

Ml    |^tfalhejencrousaLdofottom.S»rthern-B^^ 


^nfi>l,ves  and  the  indispensable  aid  of  the  11 
Thomas  J.  Busk,  a  Senator  from  Texas,  that  btj 


"■'I'^'^i.  t  iJ    kjb-^Iia^ 


114      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

after  a  severe  contest  and  long  delay,   was  carried 
through  the  Senate  of  the  United  St%|es  by  the  major- 
itj,  if  I  remember  rightly,  of  one  vote,  and  escaped 
defeat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  with  equal  dif- 
ficulty.   I  have  said  the  aid  of  Mr.  Rusk  was  indis- 
pensable.   If  any  one  has  wondered  why  I,  an  ex- 
treme Northern  man,  loved  and  lamented  Thomas  J. 
Rusk,  an  equally  extreme  Southern  man,  they  have 
here  an  explanation.    There  was  no  good  thing  which, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  I  could  not  do  in  Congress  wi^ 
his  aid.    When  he'  died,  it  seemed  to  me  that  no  good 
thing  could  be  done  by  any  one.     Such  was  the  posi- 
tion of  Cyrus  W.  Field  at  that  stage  of  the  great  en- 
terprise.     But,   thus  at    last  fortified   with    capital 
derived   from   New- York    and    London,    and    with 
the  navies  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
at  his  command,   he   has,   after  irials    that  would 
have  discouraged  any  other  than  a  true  discoverer, 
brought  the  great  work  to  a  felicitous  consummation. 
And  now  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  stand  waiting  his  permis- 
sion to  speak,  and  ready  to  speak  at  his  bidding ;  and 
the  people  of  these  two  great  countries  await  only  the 
signal  from  him  to  rush   into  a  fraternal  embrace 
which  will  prov0  the  oblivion  of  ages  of4uspicion,  of 
jealousies  and  of  anger." 
___Mr.  SewarjLmay  well  refer  with  pride^^^Q  the  paiir- 


.Vi.l 


fii^i 


HISTOKY  OP  THE   ATIANMO  TELEGEAPII.       116 

ie  took  in  staining  this  enterprise.  He  was  from 
tbe  beg,nn,ng  fe  finest  aup;^rter.  as  he  has  been" 
many  other  enterprises  for  the  public  good.    The  bill 

™d  through  a,a,nly  by  his  iofluenee,  seconded  by 
Mr.  Busk,  Mr.  Douglas,  and  one  or  two  others  It 
was  ,ntr<^^d  on  the,  hinth  of  January,  ^nd  came  up 
for  eo„«d«^on  on  the  twentyiirst  Its  friends  had 
hoped4h»t,rmightpass  with  entire  unanimity  But 
such  was  the  opposition,  that  the  discussion  lasted  two. 
days.  The  report  in  the  pages  of  the  Globe  shows 
that  It  was  a  subject  of  animated  and  almost  angry  de- 

DiltG, 

This  debate  is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  cannot  be  - 
supposed  to  have  a  present  interest;  jet  it  deserves  a 
brief  notice  for  the  reason  that  it  brings  out  so  clearly 
he  objections  to  aid  being  given  to  this  enterprise  by 
the  Governnrent-objections  which  are  heard  even  at 
th>8  late  day,  and  which,  as  we  do  not  intend  to  refer 
to  them  again,  it  may  be  well  to  notice,  once  for"  all 
and  let  them  be  answered  out  of  the  mouths  of  grave' 
senators.  ^ 

Probably  no  measure  was  ever  introduced  in  Con- 
gress for  the  help  of  any  commercial  enterprise,  that 
some  member,  imagining  that  it  was  to  benedt  a  parti- 
cular  section,  did  not  object  that  it  was  "unconstitu- 


-oosaH—Wbis  objection  ma  well  answered  in^tW 


,  ..v> 


116 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


case  by  a  then  honored  senator,  Mr.  Benjamin,  of 
Louisiana,  who  asked  ^  very  pertinently :  "If  we 
have  a  right^  to  hire  a  warehouse  at  Port  Mahon,  in 
the  Mediterranean,  for  storing  naval  stores,  have  we 
;)iot  a  right  to  hire  a  company  to  carry  our  messages '?" 
'  'I  should  as  soon  think  of  questioning  the  constitution- 
al power  of  the  Government  to  pay  freight  to  a  vessel 
for  carrying  its  mail-bags  across  the  ocean,  as  to  pay  a 
telegraph  company  a  certain  sum  per  annum  for  con- 
veying its  messages  by  the  use  of  the-  electric  tel- 
egraph." ' 

This  touched  the  precise  ground  on  which  the  ap- 
propriation was  asked.  In  their  memorial  to  the 
President,  the  Company  had  said :  "  Such  a  contract 
will,  we  suppose,  fall  within  the  provisions  of  the 
Constitution  in  regard  to  postal  arrangements,  of 
which  this  is  only  a  new  and  improved  form." 

Mr.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  explained  in  the  same 
terms  the  nature  of  the  proposed  agreement :  "  It  is  a 
mail  operation.  It  is  a- Post-Office  arrangement.  It 
is  for  the  tramipission  of  intelligence,  and  that  is  what 
I  understandto  be  the  function  of  the  Post-Office  De- 
partment. I  hold  it,  therefore,  to  be  as  legitimately 
within  the  proper  powers  of  the  Government,  as  the 
employing  of  a  stage-coach,  or  a  steam-car,  or  a  ship, 
to  transport  the  mails,  either  to  foreign  countries,  or 
--to  different^rtions  of  oar  own  eQUBtiy.JL 


;:| 


BISTORT  or  Tfl.  STL,^,,  T.LEGBAPH.    ,  U7 

Of  oourae,  as  in  all  apnroDriatInn,  „f 
'       question  of  exnen,.  u/f  u  "^  '"""^•'''  «>« 

tbe,^we«,  no?r,-  ^  considered,  and  here 

e^travI^nro^lT'  """  *"  "^  °"*  "8"'-'  ""a 
year  I    Wold  nM  H  °'  ''^'°'^  "'°"^^'"*  <'°"^'-  - 

^nditnrloftr  *;:r  r "  *^  -'-^'  - 

«.e  idea  of  pa;:;letrora™da:rr  "^ 
thousand  dollars  seen>edagr^t  s  L  ^  LtZl 
'a  reply  reminded  them  that  England  thl      -^^    * 

hundred  thousand  dolto  a  yettr  it    '       """ 

c.  the  mails  hetw.n  the  ulZ's^^^r^^J 

,    and  argued  that  it  was  a  rerv  smnli  .         '^j"""^ ' 

"  g..at  serviee rendered.    UeZd^l  C"""  '"  *'^ 

occasion  an  expense  of  seyeJZilZ7Z7  ^ 
of  doUars  a  year  instearl  .f  thousands 

^ire,  In  that  point  of  tri««-  t  u«i; „     ^ 


::!^ 


^'  '^^  P°""  "^  ^«^  I  believe  the  Govermneut 


8^/    < 


.  v,W 


pilMff ''.'—' 


'ijialpw'yji'wi'ltiw 


i 


118       niSTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

9 

will  obtain  more  service  for  the  amount  of  money, 
than  by  any  other  contract  that  we  have  ever  made, 
or  now  can  make,  for.  the  transmission  of  intelli- 

gence. 

,  As  io  the  expense  of  furnishing  a  ship  of  war  to  as- 
sist in  laying  the. cable,  that  would  be  literally  noth- 
ix\g.  Mr.  Douglas  well  asked :  "  Will  it  cost  any 
thing  to  furnish  the  use  of  one  of  our  steamships? 
They  are  idle.  We  have  no  practical  use  for  them  at 
present.  They  are  in  commission.  They  have  their 
coal  on  board,  and  their  full  armament.  They  will  be 
rendering  no  service  to  us  if  they  are  not  engaged  in 
this  work.  If  there  was  nothing  more  than  a  ques- 
tion of  national  pride  involved,  I  would  gladly  fur- 
nish the  use  of  an  American  ship  for  that  purpose. 
'England  tendaj^  ope  of  her  national  vessels,  and  why 
should  we  not  tender  one  also  ?  It  costs  England 
nothing,  and  it  costs  us  nothing." 

Mr.  Eusk  made  the  same  point,  in  arguing  that 
sUips  might  be  sent  to  assist  in  laying  the  cable,  giv- 
ing this  homely  but  sufficient  reason :  "  I  think  that 
is  better  than  to  keep  them  rotting  at  the  navy-yards, 
with  the  officers  frolicking  on  shcjre." 

Mr.  Douglas  urged  still  further :  "  But  Ameffcan 

citizens  have  commenced  this  enterprise.    The  honor 

and  the  glory  of  the  achievement,  if  successful,  will  be 

^^tie  to  Ameriofft"  genius  and  American  daring:    Why 


V  I 


.V- 


V 


mSTOsr  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEaBAPH.       119 

'.homd  the  American  Government  bo  so  penurious- 

I  do  not  knowthat  that  is  the  properworf,  for  it  eosts 

nothmg-whyshonid  we  be  actuated  bjrso  illiberal 

.     a  spmt  as  to  «f„3e  the  nso  of  one  of  our  steamship, 

-    to  convey  the  w«  when  it  does  „o.  cost  one  farthing 

to  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  ?- 

Bnt  behind  all  these  objections  of  expense  and  of 
want  of  constitutional  power,  was  one  greater  than 
them  all,  and  that  was  England  I  The  ^  animus 
of  the  opposition  was  national  jealousy_a  fear  lest 

BriL  ^"'"^  "°™   '^™"'^   '<•  <^™" 

'This  has  been  alwayssnfflcient  to  excite  the  hos- 
Wity  of  a  certain  class  of  politicians.    The  mention  of 
the  name  of  England  has  had  the  same  effect  on  them 
as  a  red  rag  waved  before  the  eyes  of  a  mad  bull.    No 
matter  what  the  subject  of  the  proposed  cooperation 
even  .f  it  were  purely  a  scientific  expedition,  they 
were  sure  England  was  going  to  p,«flt  by  it  to  our  in- 
jury.    So  now  there  were  those  who  felt  that  in  this 
submarine  cable  England  was  literally  crawling  under    • 
the  sea  to  get  some  advantage  of  the  United  States 

This  jealousy  and  hostility  spoke  loudest  from 
the  mouths  of  Southerners.  It  is  noteworthy  that 
men  who,  within  the  last  five  years,  have  figured 
^toad,  courting  foreign  influence  against  their  own 
enmtij^^e^  then  fleroeslr  in  denunoiafioS  of  Enf™ 


^^. 


I  "■* 


120      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


land.     Mason  and  Slidell  voted  together  against  the 
bill.     Butler,  of  South-Carolina,  was  very  bitter  in  his 
opposition — saying,  with  a  sneer,  that  "  this  was  sim- 
ply a  mail  service  under  the  surveillance  of  Great 
Britain" — and  so  was  Hunter,   of   Virginia;    w'hile 
Jones,  of  Tennessee,  bursting  with  patriotism,  found  a 
sufficient  reason  for  his  opposition,  in  that  "he  did  not 
want  any  thing  to  do  \Vith  England  or  Englishmen  I  " 
But  it  should  be  sajd  in  justice,  that  to  this  general 
hostility  of  the  South  there  were  some  exceptions. 
Benjamin,  of  Louisjlana,  gave  the  bill  an  earnest  sup- 
port ;  so  did  Malldry,  of  Florida,  Chairman  of  the 
Naval  Committee ;  and  especially  that  noble  South- 
erner/ Eusk,   of  Texas,  "  with  whose  aid,"  as  Mr. 
Seward  said,  "  it  seemed  that  there  was  no  good  thing 
which  he  could  not  do  in  Congress."    Mr.  Rusk  de- 
clared that  he  regarded  it  as  "the  great  enterprise 
of  the  age,'*  and  expressed  his  surprise  at  the  very 
moderate  subsidy  asked  for,  only  seventy  thousand 
dollars  a  year,  and  declared  that,  "  with  a  reasonable 
prospect  of  success  in  an  enterprise  of  this  description, 
calcjjlated  to  produce  such  beneficial  results,  he  should 
be  willing  to  vote  two  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

But  with  the  majority  of  Southern  Senators,  there 
was  a  repugnance  to  acting  in  concert  with  England, 
which  could  not  be  overcome.  They  argued  that  this 
was  not  truly  a  line  between  England  and  the  United 


(if  ■:•<»" 
i 


y 


d  the  United 


y  BmOBY  OF  THE  iTlANno  TELEGHAPH.       121 

State,  but  between  England  and  her  own  eolonfes- 
»  Ime  of  wh,oh  she  alone  was  to  reap  the  benefit. 
Mtlsjerm^m  v>ere  in  the  British  passions.    In  the 

to  the  powe.  holding  both  ends  of  the  line.    All  the 
speakers  ha^^ed  on. this  string;  and  it  may  be  wo 

ThrsTrr'"""*'^'"^  »^*  and'answered. 
Thus  spoke  Mr.  Hunter,  of  Virginia : 

"  There  is  another  matter  whieh  seems  to  mo  to  re 

qu>resomes^eguards.    Both  the  termini  of  this  tel- 

egraph  hne  are  in  the  British  dominions.    What  seen- 

"tj.  are  we  to  have  that  in  time  of  war  we  shall  have 

fte^use  of  the  telegraph  as  well  as  the  British  Govern- 

The  answer  of  Mr.  Seward  may  satisfy  our  English 
fnends  that  he  .  not  animated  by  any  violent  hLl- 
itj  to  that  country ; 

;' It  appears  not  to  have  been  contemplated  by  the 

Bntish  Government  that  there  would  ever  be  anv 

^  mterruption  of^e  amicable  relations  between  the  two 

countnes     Therefore  nothing  was  proposed  in  thdr 

contract  for  the  contingency  of  war. 

"That  the  two  termini  are  both  in  the  British  do- 
minions IS  tme ;  but  it  is  equally  true  that  there  is  no 
other  terminus  on  this  continent  where  it  is  practi 
cable  to  make  that  communication  except  in  the  Brit 
iBh  dominions     We  have  no  dominions  on  the  other 


^ 


•"Vi», 


"■^  :-, 


■.-•^wr^rr,  rAr--.???is>?^'«i"j^5iw?5mwsn8^'fippp 


■■\ 


i" 


.   ^^' 


r  ti 


123l  HiaeDis)Rr  op  this  mlastjo  telegraph 


f. 


side  of  tlie  Atlaatic  Ocean.     There  is  '|i0,  offisr  route 
known  oii  which  the  telegrapbic  wire  fibula  be  ara^n 
through  the  ocean  so  as  to  find  a  proper  resting  ptayc* 
or  anchorage  except  this.     The  distance  oh  this  route  ^ 
is  seventeen  hundred  miles.     It  is  not  even  known 
that  the  teleg^raphic  wire  will  carry  the  fluid  with  suf-  ' 
ficient  strength  to  communicate  across  those  seventeen 
hundred  miles.     That  is  yet  a  scicnti|uJ  experiment, 
and  the  Company  are  preparect,:te'"fhake  it. 

**  In  regard  to  war,  jilttlie  danger  is  this  :  There  is 
a  hazard  of  war  at  some  future  time,  and  whatever 
arrangements  we  might  make,  war  would  break  them 
up^-^at  least,  war  wduld  probably  break  them  up. 
There  can  be  no  stipulation  bf  treaty  that  would  sayp 
US  the  benefit  desired.  My  own  hope  is,  that  affcr 
the  -  telegraphic  wire  is  once  laid,  there  will  be  no 
more  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Brit- 
ain.  I  believe  that  whenever  such  a  connection  as 
this  shall  be  made,  we  diminish  the  chances  of  war, 
and  diminish  them  in  such  a  degree,  that  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  take  them  into  consideration  at  the  present 
moment. 

"  liet  us  see  where  we  are  ?  What  shall  we  gain 
by  refusing  to  enter  into  this  agreement  ?  If  we  do 
not  make  it,  the  British  Government  has  only  to  add 
ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  more  annually,  and  they 
have  the  whole  monopoly  of  this  wire,  without  any 


'••f 


BISTOBr  O,  THE  sn.^,0  X.«»,p^  .*i2., 
stipulation  whato^r-not  onlTfn'  war  but  in 

snail  ever  bp  wir  ;f         n     ,  ■^'^  *"<^re 

»  .>ue,  aa  the  hono  able  J^^  f -/"bjcet,  unless  it  be 

%at  treaties  o.n  T       ?""*°^i  ^'"^"^  Virginia  thinks,- 
.  ■^V.?*      "-reanes  can  be  made  which  will  t.„  -,  , 

>■  ^lligatorv  hv  n^fi.     •  -..•  ^^  regarded  as 

gotiation  with :  f  r  ?"::? '°'"  """*'"  »- 

British  Gov  •  n^e  t  If  >  7.    ""'  '°  ''°  ^"-    ^l-^ 

propose/  o"it:i?^^^^^^^^  r "  "-^"'-"^  "-^ 

.«J  import...  .d^ugc  .Lr    '1         .  :""  ^"'"°'''  ""' "  S«" 

"b.oh  .ho  „.gt..„  „  Jl  *r    ^''  "™«''  -^  ''"S.and,  .., 

"1.  tho  Ho«  of  Uri.,  „„  a,  ,,^  J.  _      , 

!■»'<' K«I«.fcle  cdled  attaSon  to  the  f„,  Lf  .!»,      k    . 


----"-.-^i^^^s^ao^^:^:,^^ 


,M 


SBI 


> 


124'i»)HI8TORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TBLEQEAPH. 

i 

Mr.  Hale  spoke  ift^the  same  strain : 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  the  war  spirit  and  the  contin- 
gencies of  war  are  brought  in  a  little  too  often  upon 
matters  of  legislation  which  have'no  necessary  connec- 
tion with  them.  -  If  we  are  t^  be  governed  by  consid- 
erations  of  that  sort,  they  would  paralyze  all  improve- 
•ment;  they  would  stop  the  great  appropriations  for 
commerce;  they  would  at  once  neutralize  thafr policy 
wjliich  sets  our  ocean  steamers  afloat.  .  Nobody  pre- 
t^ds  that  the  intercourse  which  is  f  ept  up  between 
Great  Britain  and  this  country  by  our  ocean  steamera 
would  be  continued  in  time  ofwar ;  nor  the  communi- 
cation with  France  or  other  nations. .-.      =    ^ 

to  enjoy  the  same  priority  aa  the" British  Government  with. regard  to 
the  transmission  of  messages.  It  was  said  that  this  eq^al  right  was 
owing  to  the  fact  that  a  joint  guarantee  had  been  given  by  the  two 
Governments.  He  thmigU,  however,  U  would  have  been  far  better  policy 
on  the  pari  of  her  Majesty's  Oovemment  if  they  had  either  undertaken 
the  whole  guarantee  themselves,  and  thus  had  obtained  free  and  sole  con- 
trol over  tlve  connecting  line  ofUUgraph,  or  had  invited  our  own  colonics 
topartidpaU  in  that  guarantee,  rather  thm  have  allowed  a  formgn  gov- 
err^eni  to  join  in  making  it.  At  the  same  time,  if  the  clause  in  ques- 
tion had  the  sanction  of  her  Ma^^^s  ministry,  it  was  not  his  intention 

to  object  to  it.  ,  •     , 

"Earl  Granville  said  this  telegraph  was  intended  to  connect  two 
»    great  countries,  and,  as  the  two  Governments  had  gone  hand  in  hand 
with  regard  to  the  guarantee,  it  seemed  only  reasonable  that  both 
should  have  the  same  rights  as  to  transmitting  messages. , 
"  The  bill -was  then  read  a^tbird  time  and  passed." 


»' 


/    ^  ,^ 


mw 


W-  '-f  -  -J  ■■'<, 


■"-IFW^'" 


/  I- 


HISrOBr  OP  THB  ATlAHmo  TELEGRAPa    .   135 

- "  If  we  are  detoTed  for  that  reason,  wo  rf,all  be 
ho^  porta  of  tbo  coast  which  lie  contiguous  t»  the 

i"otressivo.as  it  is,  because  in  time  Sf 
wartho  mansions  of  her  citl^^n^  A        ,•         , 
n>nge  of  British  guns  "'  *""'  ''^  ""'■"  «'° 

.     'Jhat  will  the  suspension  bridge  at  Nia.anv  be 
goodfor  ,n  a  time  of  war?    IftheBritish  cutCrLi 
nd  of  .t,  our  end  will  not  be  worth  much.    I  be^ve 
that  among  the  things  which  will  bind  us  .ogetha.1 
P^ace  th,s.telegraphie  wire  will  be  one  of  the  m.^ 
P  tent    It  will  bind  the  t*o  countries  together  1^ 
%  w,th  cords  of  iron  that  will  hold  us  i^  the  bl^^ 
of  peace     I  repudiate  entirely  the  policy  which  rZ  - 

trpti'iufb'T^'"'''"^^^--"-^'-^- 

terrapt«d.    Such  a  policy  as  that  would  drive  us  back 

to  a  state  of  barbarism.    It  would  destroy  tirS 

of  progress;  ,t  would  retard  improvement;  it  wTl-' 

,  paralyze  all  the  advances  which  are  making'u  a  mole 

M,  and  a  more  informed  and  a.blr;Z: 

than  the  one  which  preceded  us.'K. 

Mr.  Douglas  cut  the  matter  short  by  saying-      ■ 
"I  am  willing  to.vote  for  this  bill  as  a  peace  meas- 

«"•  »d  wr"""  "^'^"-''"'  -»'  -  "  war  mea.        , 
:  '^Lt-I^r"^^ 'IV- -'^-o"  power        . 


and  ability  to  take  tbi.  ^Z2—"  °^«  Power 
,__-"'i™™yio.talwthra  end-jTtie  inre,  and  keep  it" 


s> 


^ 


,  M* 


fm 

.    T'l'i  ''."!f>il| 

i' 

K 

o 

<i ' 

,  "^ 

I 

?.  "'■ 

) 

: 

■.' 

r:: 

'-*!■ 

M 


■  \ 

126       HISTORY  QF  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLEGBAPH. 

i 

Mr.  Eusk  said :  "  The  advantages  of  this  work  will 
be  mutual,  and  must  be  mutual,  between  tbe  United 
States  and  Great  Britain.  It  is  impossible  for  one 
nation  at  this  age  to  get  a  great  advantage  over  an- 
other in  means  of  communication,  because  when  a 
communication  is  made,  it  will  be  open  to  the  intelli- 
gence and  enterprise  and  capital  of  all." 
-  Mr.  Benjamin  said :  "  The  sum  of  money  that  this 
~  Government  proposes  to  give  for  the  use  of  this  tele- 
graph will  ..amount,  in  the  twenty-five  years,  to  some- 
thing between  £300,000  and  £400,000.  Now,  if  this 
be  a  matter  of  such  immense  importance  to  Gjreat 
Britain— if  this  be  the  golden  opportunity— and  if,  in- 
deed, her  control  of  this  line  be  such  a  powerful  en- 
gine, whether  in  war  or  in  peace,  is  it  n'ot  most  extra- 
ordinary that  she  proposes  to  us  a  full  share  in  its 
benefits  and  in  its  control,  and  allows  to  our  Govern- 
ment equal  rights  with  herself  in  the  transmission  of 
communications  for  the  .sum  of  about  £300,000,  to  bo 
paid  in  annual  instalments  through  twenty-five  years? 
If  this  be,  indeed,  a  very  hnportant  instrumentality  iti 
behalf  of  Great  Britain  for  the  conduct  of  hef  commerce, 

I  the  government  of  her  possessions,  or  the  efficient  ac- 
tion of  her  troops  in  time  of  war,  the  £300,000  ex- 
pended upon  it  are  but  as  a  drop  in  the  bucket  when 
compared  yirith  ttie  immense  resources  of  that  empire. 

— I-feiuk^  iAierefore,  we^  may  aa  wcU  4i3card  irom,  4m«^ 


^ 

■* 

l'^ 

^ 

. 

• 

,i*^u 

tUu 

*r  » 

• 

~4, 


"     ■  ™™''^  °"=E  ^TLi^TIC  TE^KAPH.       127^ 

consideration  of  this  eabject  all  the*  visions  abon,  the 
immense  imDortnTi,.B  „f  ,1,  ~  "»ioiis  aooui  the 

■     matter,  to  bfLTdered  '''^/T""'"''^  ""  '"  "''^ 
bill.  '^^"I'^red  under  the  provisions  of  this 

«r,  let  ns  be  usmg  means  to  preserve  peaee     Th„ 

:7::oTr''  ''.  ^^^'-O^" V  this.  C™m! 

s.^  months'  war  with  Great  Britain,  would  far  ex 
ceed  every  thing  that  we  shall  have  to  p.y  for  tt  Z      " 
o    h,s  telegraphic  line  for  the  entire  twen^rvfye  " 
of  thecontraet;  and  do  you  not  believe  that  thfs  L 

gether  the  peaee,  the  eommerce,  and  the  interests  of 
the  two  eountries,  so  as  even  to  defer  a  war  &    s^ 
months  or  twelve  months,  if  one  should  eTe   bt^ma    ^ 
^evitable,  beyond  the  period  at  which  it  would   Z 
w-  oeenr  ?    If  it  does  that,  it  will  in  six  or  ^^^Z 
nm^months  .pay  the  expend.tures  of  tJerSv": 

shr:^n'^'  '^'  ^  "'^'  ^  *^'*''*  ^"""»  ^"'^"it  for  war 
*e  w,U  put  ,t  there  at  her  own  exnense     U 

three  hundred  thousand  pound,  or  f^  ^d^d^r 
sand  pounds,  that  will  srrest  her  If  on  ,.'*''''"'"• 
*i«  be  useful  to  co^met^-usTfm  I  ZlZTZ' 
g^uscfnlfor  the  p^rvation  of  peaTe,  tin    'cot 

S   ^    1  confess  I  feel  a  glow  of  something 


'  ijhix 


•«Jfc.lLv4 


'iw 


mmmmmiHggm 


EBKBS: 


128      HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

like  pride  that  I  belong  to  the  great  human  family 
when  I  see  these  triumphs  of  science,  by  which  mind 
is  brought  into  instant  communication  with  mind 
across  the  intervening  oceans,  which,  to  our  unenlight- 
ened forefathers,  seemed  placed  there  by  Providence 
as  an  eternal  barrier  to  comnaunication  between  man 
and  man.  Now,  sir,  we  speak  from  minute  to  minute. 
Scarcely  can  a  gun  be  fired  in  war  on  the  European 
shore  ere  its  echoes  will  reverberate  among  our  own 
mountains,  and  be  heard  by  every  citizen  in  the  land. 
All  this  is  a  triumph  of  science— of  American  genius, 
and  I  for  one  feel  proud  of  it,  and  feel  desirous  of 
sustaining  and  promoting  it." 

!kr.  Douglas  said :  "  Our  policy  is  essentially  a  poli- 
cy of  peace.  We  want  peace  with  the  whole  world, 
above  all  other  considerations.  There  never  has  been 
a  time  in  the  history  of  this  Republic,  when  peace  was 
more  essential  to  our  prosperity,  to  our  advancement, 
and  to  our  progress,  than  it  is  now.  We  have  made 
great  progress  in  time  of  peace — ^an  almost  inconceiv- 
able progress  since  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain. 
Twenty-five  years  more  of  peace  will  put  us  far  in  ad- 
Vance  of  any  other  nation  on  earth." 
-  It  was  fit  that  Mr.  Seward,  who  introduced  the  bill, 
and  opened  the  debate',  should  close  in  words  that  now 
seem  prophetic,  and  show  the  large  wisdom,  looking 
tjefiwrand  after,  of  ihia  emiiient  statesmaa^ 


* 


mSTOBT  OF  THE  XTLimiO  TELEGEAPH.       129 

irro^nr^r '''"''"""  ""''=^°  '•'°'  -  the  year 

Britain,  and  to  thjl    TT  ''''''^*"^'  ^  ^^^^^ 

,  ana  to  the  world,  the  use  of  the  li^htnina  for 

he  pur/oses  of  communication  of  intelliln^  °    J 

that  was  Dr.  Franklin      T  o  intelligence,  and. 

j-ianjiiin.     1  am  sure  that  therp  ia  T,«f 

only  no  member  oF  tJ.P  q      .    t  ^  "°* 

»=,  howeve7hul,*    ^   '  ''"'  "^  ^"'°™™  «» 

tinn  ,!,•      "°"  ™  ''"'"CTemonte  of  American  inven- 
tion this  great  discovery  of  the  i;<,l,tn,- 

for  the  use^  of  hnman  stilly        """"^  "  ""  "^"' 

iilulwoL'r""""  "''"  ''  *="  'J.-*-g"-'>ed  and 
iimstnons  American  was  followed  un  some  fin 

afterward  by  another  suggestion  a^d  TnXXdir 

FB  Morse,  who  indicated  to  the  American  Gov"rn 
™e  means  by  which  the  lightning  con.d  U^ 
^wr,te,^„d  by  which  the  telegraphic  wires  couU  be 

-He™.  Thcoove^rri'i.'^XdstLr 

P«.pHated  140,000  to  test  the  pi^ticab    fy^f  mZ^ 


!ji>ijiiiiibiii;i  ii  iiii^Ji^i^igwiB^^  7"' 


180       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  'TOLEGPAPH. 

strike  from  the  world  tlief-;gse  of  tlie  magnetic  tele- 
graph as  a  means  of  communication  between  different 
portions  of  the  same  cbuntryJ,  This  grealrnrwati^  is 
now  to  be  brought  into  its  further,  wider,  and  broader 
use — the  use  by  the  general  society  of  nations,  inter- 
natioijal  use,  the  use  of  the  society  of  mankind.  Its 
benefits  ,are  large— just  in  proportion  to  the  extent 
and  scope  of  its  operation.  They  are  not  merely 
benefits  to  the  Government,  but  they  are  benefits  to 
the  citizens  and  subjects  of  all  natjons  and  of  all 

States.  '  ■         ,    , 

"  I  might  enlarge  further  oiv  this  subject,  but  I  lor- 
beaE^  to  do  so,  because  I  know  that  at  some  future 
time  t  shall  come  across  the  record  of  what  I  have 
said  to-day.  I  know  that  then  what  I  have  said  to-day, 
'by  way  of  anticipation,  will  fall  so  far  short  of  the  reality 
of  benefits  which  individuals.  States,  and  nations  will 
Jiave  derived  from  this  great  enterprise,  that  I  shall 
not  reflect  upon  it  without  disappointment  and  morti- 
fication." 

After  such  arguments,  it  should  seem  thtJt  there 
could  be  but  one  opinion,  and  yet  the  bill  passed  the 
Senate  by  only  one  majority  I  It  also  had  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  whece  it  en- 
countered the  same  hostility.  But  at  length  it  got 
through,  and  was  signed  by  President  Pierce  on  the 
-ihird-of  March^  the  day  before  he  went  ont  ^^ 
Thus  it  became  a  law. 


-  i'  ', 


J 


t        » 


I**-.       ! 


l'  i   4. 


.    .       '      .     OHAPTEB    Vm. 
^nam  TO  EmLi»D     t„  „ 

England.    Once  more  uDon,^  """ '^'^d  to 

'«  delay  and  ^he  ZZl       ^""'^  '^  *"«^'  "'^ 
fog.  of  Waahwj'  Ne^oundland,  and  the  denser 

»d  there  at  leasf  the  w°I  Z      T^  '"  '=''^'*'"'' 
wi-tef  long  the  wheel  rfl         .    '""'^  ^™-    ^' 

"■otion.-  ThecaWewrunt',"       "^'^'"^  ^^P'  - 
»  length  snfflcien    r  ;     S' *  '"«''*^  foWs  to 

Although  the  United  Sf^+o.  rt 
y^arandnexl^iaportart?.    ^^'  "  y^' "''*-^<'.  this 

«o««3  the  AUantio    Yt  T        7*"  "'^  ^'  'o  take       • 


■     .  ^'"« '»  ">'».™te,prise  the  two 

V 


'    -i 


r. 


6kiiSi,iL^',Wi!.^i.. ,; 


132      HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

finest  sliipa  in  the  Ameridan  navy— tbe  Niagara  and 
the  Susquehanna. "  The  former  ejpcially  deserves  no- 
tice,'  as  she  has  become  a^his^ical  ship.  She  was 
built  some,  dozen  years  ago  by  the  lamented  George 
.  Steers— a  name  celebrated  among  our  marine  archi- 
tects afl  the  constructor  of  the  famous  yacht  America,    ^ 

that  "  race-horse  6f  the  sea,"  which  had  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  and  carried  off  the  prize  in  the  British  Chan- 
"  nel  from  the  yachts  of  Englslnd— and  was  designed 
to  be  a  model  of  naval  architecture.    She  was  "the 
largest  steam-frigate  in  the  world,  exceeding  in  ton- 
nage  the  heaviest  line-of-battle  ship  in  the-  English 
navy,  and  yet   so  finely  modelled  that,   propfeUed 
obly  by  a  screw,  she  could  easily  make  ten  or  twelve 
mile&an  hour.    Notwithstanding  her  huge- bulk,  she 
was  intended  to  carrf  ^ut  twelve  gups— being  one  of 
the  first  ships  in  our  navy  to  substitute  a  few  enor- 
mous Dahlgrens  for  half  a  dozen  times  as  many  fifty- 
six-pounders.    Tins  was  the  begiiining  of  that  revo- 
lution in  naval  warfare,  which  has  been  carried  to 
.   such  extent  in  the  Monitors  and  other  ironclads  in- 
-  troduced  in  our  recent  civil  war.    Each  gun  weighed 
fourteen  tons-requiring  a  crew  of  twenty-five  men  to 
wield  it— and  threw  a  shell  of  one  hundred  ^nd  thirty 
pounds  a  distance  of  three  miles.    One  or  two  broad- 
sides fix)tn  such  a  deck  would  sink  an  old-fashioned 
"  ^venty-f&uf,  ot  even  a  ninety  of  hundred-gmx  shiix 


6^J^J^*£-;'''.'"".:,^t':,i-i'i^^-''.>'-- 


■"w»&(9w*7»rj«.i»-» 


'4^i^&^£i\ 


ii! 


J-k,"  clear  ■fil':^'j'*  '"-» '^  ■^-™  -  a  "fl„,a 

i'^-  guns,  was  UttZlT^"'  '"'  "^"^  "'"'°« 

■  -   don  that  she  was  to  boar,    mo;  T"  T^""  ""■ 

<!eivod  from  Washm,^,        i  "'^^'^  were  re- 

■    for  her  e^ped  L  "'j'^f; J"-^-'^'^  ^  P-pare 
above  and  below  to  It         ""^  ''''°<='^'^''  "o"". 

weeks.    On  the  twentj-socoad  „.  A     .,    ,"  "  '^™ 

'  «  ttp  down  the  bay  ani?     i^"''  ""^  "^'^^  » 

England,  in  command  rfo!  7°  t^'  "^^  ^«'='J  f- 

one  of  the  o.destrd  t'^ZZn^"^  "^  ^"^'- 

to  his  past  services  to  his  1^  '""^'  "■'"'' 

.-■"-inthee.pedit^ro^-srdr.r'* 

>ng  year.    He  had  with  h™       ^7-  ^  *'"°w- 

William  E.  Everett  wl„         "^     ^"''  ^"^^^  ^■ 

-  i-PortontlT^t^r  7  "^"^  ^'"^  P"'-^' 
which  finally  Iai~^^  ^-^P^^-g-t  machine^ 

T^rpennit^  by  our  Qovenunen,.  it^^T^'^^ 


mined  by  our  Govemmehtj  as  an  act  of  n». 


>        558 


•i^i'gtj*,  i^"f  w  >i  <i^ 


Ill*',       '  "^ 


184       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

tional  courtesy,  to  go  out  to  witness  this  great  expert 
ment;   and  Professor  Morse,  who  ^^^nt  as  the  elec- 
■  trician  of  the  Newfoundland  Company.     The  regula-    , 
tiotia^^of  the  navv  did  not  admit  correspondents  of  the 
press;  1)ut  Professor  Morse  was  permitted  to  toke  a 
secretary,  and  chose  Mr.  MuUaly,  who  had  thus  an 
opportunity  to  witness  all  the  preparations  on  land 
and  sea,  and  to  furnish  those  minute  and  detailed 
accounts  of  the  several  expeditions,  which  contribute 
some  important  chapteiB  in  the  history  of  this  enter- 

The  Niagara  arrived  out  on  the  fourteenth  of  Ma^, 
and  cast  anchor  off   Gravesend,  about    twenty-five 
miles  below  London.     As  it  was  the  first  time-at 
least  for  many  years-that  an  American  ship  of  war 
^     had  appeared  in  the  Thames,  this  fact,  with  her  huge 
proportions  and  the  object  for  which  she  came,  at- 
tracted  a  crowd  of  visitors.    Every  day,  from  morn- 
ing to  night,  a  fleet  of  boats  was  around  her,  and  men 
and  women  thronged  over  her  sides.    Every  body  was 
welcome.    AH  were  received  with  the  utmost  cour- 
/  tesy,  and  allowed  access  to  all  parts  of  the  ship. 
Among  these  were  many  visitors  of  distinction.    Here 
came  Lady  Franklin  to  thank  the  generous  nation 
^    that  had  sent  two  expeditions  to  recover  her  husband, 
lost  amid  Polar  seas.    She  was,  of  course^the^^eo^ 
^  inivea  attention  pffrespectfttflympathy--^ 


L'^^'ifUAi-  »4r»I 


J-  — -V 


^■i* 
''^' 

*' 


■^ 


af 


^^^-^  0.  ™,  ^„  ^^^^^ 


135  -. 


While  lying  in  (t^TI^. 

was  to  take  the  otiler  half  of  1     ,^«""^™"?"'  ««" 
.,    river.    This  tor,,  ,."*"*' P''^<i«Pth« 

tbo  flag  If  'arrrr"  '''°'"'  ^''■■P'  """8  "^^e 

ootopoi,  and  Oistinguisbed  herself  h.r  e+ 
up  wuhin  a  few  hundred  yards  ofThl   ^^  ^*'?^"^' 
fortress.    After  nn«o-      .t,  ^^  ^""«  ^^  t^^e 

in  aehieveJents  rf  ptt  rie'T"'  '"  ^^"^^  P"" 
of  war.    She  was  ,^  «''°™"'  ""«"  '•'<«« 

Of  the  Eo^a.  ;:;:"'"  """-"-^  "^^^P'^-  ^oddal. 

As  the  Agamemnon  came  im  ih^    ■ 

"tylo,  she  reooini^od  the  m.ZCLZV  '™/ 

-and  manning  her  yards  ^Jt         ^  otf  Gravesend, 

English  hurras  LI     -^     ''"'  ^  ™'*^'on  of  those 

onland  or  Z  ^1?^  '°  *'  ""^' "''-  '-''• 

'His  tin.e,  ttr;art?;:.:^;r::t:  rr:  "-^ 

«.e  officer  and  crews  ^f  t^TV^l^^Z   nT 
-erfons  for  the  common  object.  \.erZZZ    2      ' 
i>y  a  generous  rivalry  ^-^ 

^.m-ftrtteditsrrancin  to  take  part  also  in  the^f^ 


'f     « 


iRSlWaJf » 


^r*   Khii  -■        ^^ 


136      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATl.ANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

« 

dition.  She  was  a  fit  cJinpanion  sWp,  being  the 
largest  side-wheel  steaWr  h1  our  navy,  as  the  other 
Js  the  largest  propell^.  Both  together,  they  were 
worthy  representatives  of  ihe  American  navy.    _ 

When  the  Niagara'%^ved  in  the  Thames  it  waa 
supposed  she  would  take  on  board  her  half  of  the  cable 
from  the  manufactory  of  Glass,  EUiot  &  Co.,  at  G^een- 
wich ;  but  on  account  of  her  great  length,  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  bring  her  up  alongside  the  wharf  in  front  ot 
.  the  works.    This  was  therefore  left  to  the  Agamem- 
non, while  the  Niagara  was  ordered  around  to  Liver- 
pool, to  take  the  other  half  from  the  works  of  Newall 
&  Co.,  at  Birkenhead,  opposite  that  city.      Accord- 
ingly she  left  Gravesend  on  the  fifth  of  J.ine,.and 
reached  Portsmouth  the  next  day,  where  she  remain- 
ed a  fortnight,  to  have  some. further  alterations  to  fit 
her  to  receive  the  cable.    Although  she  had  been  al- 
ready pretty  well  "  scooped  out,"  fore  and  aft,  the  cry 
was  still  for  room.     Officers  had  to  shift  for  them- 
selves, as  their  quarters  were  swept  away  to  make  a 
wider  berth  for  their  iron  guest.    But  all  submitted 
with  excellent  grace.    Like  true  sailors,  they  took  it 
«  gaily  "  as  if  they  we^  only  clearing  the  decks  to  go 
into  battle.    Among  other  alterations  for  safety,  was 
'a  framework  or  «« cage"  of  iron,  which  was  put  over 
the  stern  of  the  ship,  to  keep  the  cable  from  getting 


l^tangled  in  the  screw.     Arioonas^esewe^^ 


j*i. 


Hi 


^rflSTORY  OT  Tm^  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.     '  137 

gted,  the  Niagara  left  for  Liverpool,  and  on  the 
twenty.econd  of  June  cast  anchor  in   the  Merse.. 
Here  she  attracted  as  n.uch  attention  as  in  the  Thami 
bemg  crowded  with  visitors  daring  the  week;  and  o^ 
Sundays    when   none  were  received  on  bokrd,  the 
nver-boats  sought  to  gratify  public  cariosity  b;  sad 
ng  around  her.     The  officers  of  the  ship  at  L  Zl 
time  were  objects  of  constant  hospitality,  both  from* 
private  citizens  and  from  the  public  authdritics.    JSho 
Mayor  of  Liverpool  gave  them  a  dinner,  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  another,  while  the  Americans  in  Liver- 
pool   entertained  them  at  a  grand  banquet  on  the 
foarth  of  July-the  first  public  celebration  of  our 
national  anniversary^  ever  had  in  that  city 

But  while  these  festivities  were  l^ept  up  on  shore, 
hard   work  was  done  on.  board  thb  ship.    To  coil 
thirteen  hundred  iniles  of  cable  wa^  an  immense  un- 
dertaking.   Yet  it  was  all  done  by  the  saHors  them- 
selves.    No  compulsion  was  used,  and  none  was  need- 
ed.    No  sooner  was  there  a  call  for  volunteers,  than 
•^  men  stepped  forward  in  greater  numbers  than  could 
be  employed.,  Out  of  these  were  chosen  one  hundred 
and  twenty  Stalwart  fellows,  who  were  divided  into 
two  gatigs  of  sixty  men,  and  each  gang  into  watehes 
ot  thirty,  which  relieved  each  other,  and  all  went  to 
work  with  such  enthusiasm,  that  in  three  weeks  the 


^^»^°«^e«f-ta^Tras-coapetea.    The  event  waa  oeii 


.  "f""^ 


188       mSTOEY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPrf. 

Bratcd  by  a  final  diiinqr  given  by  the  sharcbolders  of 
the  Atlqpltio  TelG^rapli.  Company  residing  at  Liver- 
pW  to  |Capta(n  Hudson,  and  Captain  Sands  of  tho 
Susauehinna/  whose  arrival  in  the  Mersey  enabled 
them  uJ  extend  their  hospitalities  to  tho  officers  of 

both  ships.  "  , 

■While  the  Niagara  was  thus  doing  her  part,  tho 
Vame  afcene  was  going  on  on  board  the  Agamemnon, 
whicV  was  still  lying  in  the  Thames.  There  the  work 
was  (Completed  about  the  same  day,  anci  the  occ?ision 
dul>|  honored  by  a  scene  as  unique  as  it  was  beautiful. 
Sayi  the  London  Times  of  July  twenty-fourth  : 

"kll  th'e  details  connected  with  the  manufacture 
xandstowage  of  the  cable  are  now  completed,  and  the 
conclusion  of  the  arduous  labor  was  celebrated  yester- 
dair  with  high  festivity  and  rejoicing.    All  the  arti- 
sahs  who  havf  been  engaged  upon  the  great  work, 
.with  their  wivLs  and  families,  a  large  party  of  the  offi- 
Urs,  with  the  sailors  from  the  Agamemnon,  and  a 
/umber  of  dislinguished  scientific  visitors,  were  enter- 
tained upon  th^  occasion  at  a  kind  of  f^te  chamfetre 
at  Belvidere  hlse,  the  seat  of  Sir  Culling  Eardley, 
near  Erith.    tL  festival  was  held  in  the  beautiful 
park  which  had^  been  obligingly  opened  by  Sir  Cul- 
ling Eardley  for|  the  purpose.    Althougb  in  no  way 
personally  interekt«d  in  the  project,  the  honorable  bar- 
-B^tSas  aU  uloui  eviuced  the  Uvdioot  iyapnthy  with 


J^ 


..,.;,. 


\1 


■t. 


■  *"">  "'"Icrtakisg,  and  Li„soIf  proposed  to  1,.  '    ... 
completion  of  tLe  worfe  cdcbnted  in  *" 

grounds.      TUo  mauufacturera,   fired  vritl,    „  - 

emulation,  erected  spacious  ,e  b  ^  tl  ,  ^       °".' 
P-idc^  a  masnificcL  ^^JVl^]:^ 
■    substantial  one  for  the  siilnr«  ^r  .1      *'  '  * 

'"*^"  sat  at  a/number  of  Inner  +oki 
arranged  at  right  angfes  „I  ft,  choH  o  1^  j 
general  effect  waa  that, allied  together  while  a  1 
same  (Ae  sufficient  dkHii  f  '  "  ""^ 

isfy  tWmosifa^Milus     T  :7"  ''"""''  *"  "'" 

occupied  by'the  Wof  tl    A         """'''  '^""^  ^""^ 
■     vj      ;  /     ."'°  ^Simemnon,  a  fine  ant 

.ve  bodj.  of  young;ien,  who  paid  the  g,;atest  !'tl 
t.ontothesj^hranddr«nka„  tie  toXwith  at 
adm..ble  p„„etZlity,  at  lea^tso  long  as  tbe7;tbrl 
pmts  of  beer  jfer  man  lasted;  but  we  resn-^t  ^.    Ta 

smsrn  of  Ja6k  m  the  cause  of  science,  the  mugs  were  ' 
an  emptx4ng  before  the  chairman's  list  of  U>^JZ 
been  gone  through.  Ne.t  in  inte«st  to  thT^ilo^ 
wo«,  the  workmen  and  their  wives  and  babies^Tl  b" 
-gpernutt^d  to  assist  at  the  g,«at  occasion,  it"  lal- 
M-.  It  Iff  tnip,  Bomatimou  BijualM  at  an  atteca^et^"" 


-v!^ 


•> 


.  1  i 


140      HISTOBT  OF  THE  ATLAOTJIO -TBLEGBAPa 

.ration,  but  that  rather  improved  the  effect  than  other- 
^wise,  and  the  presence  of  thes*  little  ones  only  mark- 
M  the  genuine  good  feeling  of  the  employers,  who 
;  had  thus  invited  not  only  their  workmen  but  their 
workmen's  families  to  the  feast.  It  was  a  momentary 
return  to  the  old  patriarchal  times,  and  every  one 
present  seemed  delighted  with  thcexpenment     . 

Speeches  we^e  made  by  Sir  Culling  Eardley,  by 
Mr:  Oardwell,  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Mr.  Brook- 
ing   one  of  the ,  Directors,  by  Professor  Morse,  and 
others,     ilv.  Field  read  a  letter  from  President  Ju- 
chan^,  saying  that  he  should  feel  honored  if  the  first 
message  should  be  one  from  Queen  Yictoriaf  to  him- 
self, and  that  he  "  would  endeavor  to  ansv^er  it  m  a 
spirit  and  manner  becoming  a  great  occ#j(&/' 
'       Thus  labor  and  feasting  being  ^e^,  th^  Niagara 
and  the  Susquehanna  left  Liverp^the  latter  part  of 
Jaly    and,  steamed  down.  St.  forge's  Channel  to 
'  .  Queenstown,  which  was  to  b^  the  rendezvous  of  the 
teWraphic  squadron,  and  here  they  were  joined  by 
C^^^j^emnon  and  the^eopard,  which  was  to  be 
^^  he7  consort.     The  formet,  as  she   entered  the  har- 
bor, came  to  anchor  about  a  third  of  a   mile  from 
the' Niagara.    The  presence  of  the  two  ships  which 
had  the  cable  on  board,  gave  an  opportunity  which 
th^  »W.tricians  had  desired  to  test,  its^integrity.    Ac- 


oOTdin^  one  end  oi  each  cable  was  ca^iea  to  tnr 


t 


HMTOET  OF  THE  ATIiANTIO  TELEGBAPH.       141 


•    *  .         , 

opposite  ship,  and  so  joined -as  to  form  a  continuoT|(|y 

length  of  twentj-five  hundred  miles,   both  ends  of 

which  were  on  board  the  Agamemnon.     One  end  was 

then  connected  with  the  apparatus  for  transmitting 

the  .electric  current,  and  on  a  sensitive  galvanometer 

being  attached  to  the  other  end,   the  whole  cable 

was  tested  from  end  to  end,  and  found  to  be  per- 

feet.    These  experiments  were  continued  for  two  days 

with  the  same  result.    This  inspired  fresh  hopes  for 

the  success  of  the  expedition,  and  in  high  ^irits  thej 

bore  away  for  the  harbor  of  Valentia. 

It  had  been  for  some  time  a  matter  of  discussion, 
where  they  should  begin  to  lay  the  cable,  whether 
from  the  coast  of  Ireland,  or  in  mid-ocean,  the  two 
ships  making  the  junction  there,  and  dropping  it  to 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  then  parting,  one  to  the 
east  and  the  other  to  the  west,  till  they  landed  their 
ends  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the  Atlantic,     This 
was  the  plan  adopted  the  following  year,  and  which 
finally  proved  successful.    It  waa  the  one  preferred 
by  the  engineers  now,  but  the  electricians  favored  the 
other  course,  and  their  cmmsel  prevailed.    It  was 
therefore  decided  to  submerge  the  whole  cable  in  a  con- 
tinuous line  from  Valentia  Bay  to  Newfoundland.     The 
Niagara  was  to  lay  the  first  half  from  Ireland  to  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic ;  the  end  ^ould  then  be  joined 


the  Tsther  Mlf  on  nSoard  the  Agamemnon,  which 


r^ 


'£• 


-1  -.s 


i 


|j&'<^j.  ^  '"('u^ 


142  i     HISTOR"t  *0F  THE  ATLANTIC  TftLEGRAPH. 


i 


BT  V 


E  ■      it 


liprould  take  it  on  to  the  coast  of  Newfoundlaud. 
During  the  whole  process  the  four  vessels,  were  to 
remain  together  and  give  whatever  assistance  was 
required.  While  it  was  being  laid  down,  messages 
wei-e  to  be  sent  back  to  Valentia,  reporting  each  day's 
progress. 

As  might  be  supposed,  the  mustering  of  such  a 
fleet  of  ships,  and  the  busy  note  of  preparation  which 
had  been  heard  for  weeks,  produced  a  great  sensation 
in  t^is  remote  part  of  Ireland.  The  people  from  far 
and  near,  gathered  on  the  hills  and  looked  on  in  si- 
lent wonder.- 

To  add  to  the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  came  down  from  Dublin  to  witness  the 
departure  of  the  expedition.  Happily  this  was  a 
nobleman  well  fitted  to  represent  his  own  country, 
and  to  command  audience  from  ours.  The  Earl 
of  Carlisle — better  known  among  us  as  Lord  Mor- 
peth— ^had  travelled  in  the  United  States  a  few  years 
before,  and  shown  himself  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  liberal  foreigners  that  ever  visited  America.  No 
representative  of  England  could  on  that  day  have 
stood  upon  the  shores  of  Ireland,  and  stretched  out 
his  hand  to  his  kindred  beyond  the  sea  with  more 
assurance  that  his  greeting  would  be  warmly  respond- 
ed to.  And  never  did  one  speak  more  aptly  words 
of  wifldom  and  of  peane.    We  read  them  still  with  ad- 


Hi'' 


/  * 


;     ,        HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEaRAPH.      143 

^  miratiQn  for  their  beauty  and  their  eloquence,  and 
with  an  interest  more  tender  but  more  sad,  that  this 
great  and  good  man — the  true  friend  of  his  oVn  coud-* 
try  and  of  ours — has  gone  to  his  grave.     To  quote  his 

*  own  words  is- the  best  tribute  to  his  memory,  and  will 

^  do  more  than  any  eulogy  we  dka.  pay  to  keep  it  fresh 
and  green  in  the  hearts  of  Americans.  On  his  arrival 
at  YjHelatia,  he  was  entertained  by  the  Knight  of 
Kerry  at  one  of  those  public  breakfasts  so  much  in 
fashion  in  England,  at  wljjJEI^  response  to  a  toast 
in  his  honor,  after  makiiflpP^liersonal  acknowledge 
ments,  he  said : 

"I  believe,  as  your  worthy  chairman  has  already 
hinted,  that  I  am  probably  the  first  Lieutenant  of  Ire- 
land who  ev^er  appeared  upon  this  lovely  strand.  At 
all  events,  no  Lord  Lieutenant  could  have  come 
amongst  you  on  an  occasion  like  the  present.  Amidst 
ail  the  pride  and  the  stirring  hopes  which  cluster 
aBound  the  work  of  this  week,  we  ought  still  to  re- 
member that  we  mlist  speak  with  the  modesty  of  those 
who  begin  and  not  of  those  who  close  an  experiment, 
anq  it  behooves  us  to  remember  that  the  pathway  to 
greia,t  achievements  has  frequently  to  be  hewn  out 
amidst  risks  and  difficulties,  and  that  preliminary  fiiil- 
ure  is  even  the  law  and  condition  of  the  ultimate  suo- 

'  cesa.  pjoud  cheers.]  Therefore,  whatever  disappoint- 
menta  may  possibly  be  in  store,  I  must  yet  insinuate 


Hh 


r,JS;'» 


•'m 


•       il 


A^t- 


144       HIST6b¥  Off  iWE  JLlhAmHO  TKLEQBAPH. 


♦    ,- 


tyoa  that  io  a  cause  like  this  it  would  be  criminal 
feel  discouragement.  [Gheem]  In  the  very  design 
'  ftnd  endeavor  to  establish  the  Atlantic  Telegtaph  there 
is  almost  enough  of  glory^  It  is  true  if  it  be  only  an 
attempt  there  would  not  be  quite  enough  of  profit.  I 
hope  that  will  come,  too ;  but  there  is  enough  of  pub- 
lic spirit,  of  love  for  science,  for  our  country,  for  the 
human  race,  almost  to  suffice  in  themselves.*  How- 
ever, upon  this  rocky  frontlet  of  Ireland,  at  all  events, 
to-day  we  will  presume  upon  success.  We  are  about, 
either  by  this  sundown  or  by  to-morrow's  dawn,  to  es- 
tablish a  new  material  link  between  the  Old  World  and 

r 

the  New.  Moral  links  there  have  been — ^links  of  race, 
links  of  commerce>  links  o% friendship,  links  of  litera- 
ture, links  of  glory;  but  this,  our  new  link,  instead  of 
superseding  and  supplanting  the  old  ones,  is  to  give  a 
life'  and  an  intensity  which  they  never  had  before. 
[Loud  cheers.]  Highly  as  I  value  the  reputations  of 
those  who  have  conceived,  and  those  who  have  con- 
tributed to  carry  out  this  bright  design — and  I  wish 
that  so  many  of  them  had  not  been  unavoidably  pre- 
vented from  being  amongst  us  at  this  moment* — 
highly  as  I  estimate  their  reputation,  yet  I  do  not 
compliment  them  with  the  idea  that  they  are  to  eflOace 
or  dim  the  glory  of  that  Columbus',  who,  when  the 
large  vessels  in  the  harbor  of  Cork  yesterday  weighed 


1  " . ^ii'fi'i,^  ^"'i*' 


"v 


raSTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      ^45 

ftieir  anchors,  did  so  on  that  very  day  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  years  ago— it  would  have  been  called 
in  Hebrew  writ  a  year  of  years— and  set  sail  upon  his 
glorious  enterprise  of  discovery.      They,  I  say,  will 
not  dim  or  efface  his  glory,  but  th^y  are  now  giv- 
ing the  last  finish  tind  consummation  to  his  work. , 
Hitherto  the  inhabitants  of  the  two  worlds  have  asso- 
ciated perhaps  in  the  chilling  atmosphere  of  distance 
with  each  other— a  sort  of  bowing^  distance ;  but  now 
we  can  be  hand  to  hand,  grasp  to  grasp,  palse'to 
pulse.     [Cheers,]    The  link,  which  is  now  to  connect 
us,  like  the  iuseot  in    the  immortal  couplet  of  our  ^ 
poet; 

•,  '  While  exquisitely  fine,  ^' 

Feels  at  each  thread  and  lives  along  the  line.  ' 

'   .J,  ■  ■  ^^        . 

And  we  may  feel,  gentlemen  of  Ireland,  of  Eng: 
land,  and  of  America,  that  we  may  take  our  stand 
here  upon  the  extreme  rocky  edge  of  our  beloved 
Ireland;  we  may,  as  it  were,  leave  in.  our  rear  behind 
us  the  wars,  the  strifes,  and  the  bloodshed  of  the  elder  •  \ 
Europe,  and  I  fear  I  may  say,  of  the  elder  Asi^ ;  and  ' 
we  may  pledge  ourselves,  weak  afl  out  agency  may  be, 
imperfect  as  our  pcwers  may  be,  inadequate  in  strict 
diplomatic  form  as  our  credentials  may  be,  yet,  in  the 
feoe  of  the  unpaitdleled  cirourastanoea,  of  the  place 
and  the  hour,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the      > 


-f<- 


i- 


^\ 


\ 


<" 


» 


>•■' 
*'.* 


%\ 


-.'oM 


-1.1 


mil 


•t-  , 


vessels  wboae  appearance  may  be  beautiful 

7  ■    ■   ^ 


i>->Akrft'ii*s     \ 


..^jfSt.^M 


r 


:;  r 


146      HISTOBY  OF  THE   ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH; 


.-U^v 


*:'■  ■: 


&V' 


upon  the  waters,  eyen  as  are  tlie  feet  upon  tlie  moun- 
tains of  those  who  preach  the  Gospel  of  peace— as  an 
homage  <ing  to  that  s^eiie  science  which  often  affords 
higher  and  holier  lessons  of  harmony  and  good  will 
than  the  wayw;ard  passions  of  man  are  always  apt  tak 
learn — in  the  face  and  in  the  strength  of  such  circum- 
stances, let  us  pledge  ourselves  to  eternal  p^e  be- 
tween the  Old  World  and  the  New." 

While  these  greetings  were  exchanged  on  shore, 
only  the  smarlleB  vessels  of  the  squadron  had  arrived. 
But  in  a  few  hours  the  great  hulls  of  the  Niagara  and 
the  Agamemnon,  followed  by  the  Leopard  and  the  Sus- 
quehanna, were  seen  in  the  horizon,  and  soon  they  all 
cast  anchor  in  the  bay.  As  the  sun  went  down  in  the 
west,  shining  still  on  that  other  hemisphere  which 
they  were  going  to  seek,  its  last  rays  fell  on  an  expe- 
dition more  suggestive  and  hopeful  than  any  since 
that  of  OWumbus  from  the  shores  of  Spain,  and  upon 
navigators  not  unworthy  to  be  called  his  followers. 

The  whole  squadron  was  now  assembled,  and  made 
quite  a  navaj.  array.  There  were  present  in  the  little 
harbor  of  Valentia  seven  ships — ^the  stately  Niagara, 
which  was  to  lay  the  half  of  the  cable  from  Ireland, 
and  her  consort,  the  Susquehanna,  riding  by  her  side ; 
while  floating  the  flag  of  England,  were  the  Agamem- 
non, which  was  appointed  to  lay  the  cable  on  the 
■-Amorioan  iddey^  and  Jier  consort,  tb^^  Beadfe, 


|i  / 


/: 


.S'^^f^t,    ^'''V      ^  i.f-     ■;  ,>''^'--    •        *         ^        ».  ,\'^,      55^^;    ",  is.- 


..    HiBTORr  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       147 

these  hrgKdepked  sbips  of  war,  the  steamer  Advice 
had  come  round  to  give,  not  merely  advice  but  lusty 
help  in  landing  the  cable  at  V^entia;  and  the  little 
steamer  Willing  Mind,  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  her 
name,  was  flying  bacS:  and  forth  between  Ship  and 
shore,  lending  a. hand  wherever  there  was  work  to  be 
done;  and  the  Cyclops,  under  the  experienced  com- 
mand of  Captain  Dayman,  who  had  made  the  deep-sea 
soundings  across  the  Atlantic  only  the  month  before, 
here  joined  the  sqtiadron  t6  lead  thi  way  across  the 
deep.    This  made  five  English  ships,  with  but  two 
American;  but  to  keep  up  our  part,  there  were  two 
more  steamers  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  the  Arc- 
tic, under  Lieutenant  Berryma%  and  the  Company's 
steamer  Victoria,  ^o  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  fleet 
off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland,  and  help  in  landing  the 
cable  on  the  shores  of  the  New  "World.  •  ' 

It  was  now  Tuesday  evening,  the  fourth  of  August, 
too  late  to  undertake  the  landing  that  night,  but  pre- 
parations were  at  once  begun  for  it  the  next  morn- 
ing. Says  the  correspondent  of  the  Liverpool  Post: 
"The  shiVs  were  visited  in  the  course  of  the.  even- 
ing by  the  I^irectors  and  others  interested  in  the  great  ' 
undertaking,  and  arrangements  were  immediately  com- 
mence4  tn  board  the  Niagara  for  paying  out  the  shore 
rope  ^r  conveyance  to  the  mainland.    These  arrange- 


ti 


It 


"  ineiitaiv  vr 


'•:ft 


^U 1 


»  .  ,Aij\i&^'i'j 


.w;^  :-^u"'f0ti 


V  r      -V^    .A 


'*■ 


•     -yn' 


148      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.       ^ 

but  for  some  hours  the  state  of  the  weather  rendered 
it  doubtful  whether  operations  could  be  safely  pro- 
ceeded with.  Toward  the  afternoon  the  breeze  calmed 
down,  and  at  two  o'clock  it  was  decided  that  an  effort 
should  be  made  to  land  the  cable  at  once.  Qllie  pro- 
cess of  uncoiling  into  the  small  boats  commenced  at 
half-past  two,  and  the  scene  at  this  period  was  grand 
and  exciting,  in  the  highest  degree. 

"  Valentia  Bay  was  studded  with  irmumerable  small 
craft,  decked  with  the  gayest  bunting— small  boats 
flitted  hither  and  thither,  their  occupants  cheering 
enthusiastically  as  the  work  successfully  progressed. 
The  cable  boats  were  managed  by  the  sailors  of  the 
Niagara  and  Susquehanna,  and.it  was  a  well-designed 
compliment,  and  indicative  of  the  future  fraternization 
of  the  nations,  that  the  store  rope  was  arranged  to  be 
presented  at  this  side  the^tlantic  to  the  representative 
of  the  Queen,  by  the  cJflScers  and  men  of  the  United 
States  navy,  and  that  at  the  other  side  British,  officers 
and  sailors  should  make  a  similar  presentation  to  the 
President  of  the  great  Republic. 

"From  the  main  land  the  operations  were  watched 
with  intense  interest.  For  several  hours  the  Lord 
I^ieatenant  stood  on  the  beach,  surrounded  by  his  staff 
"'  "le  directors  of  the  railway  and  telegraph  com- 
^  t^iting  the  arrival  of  the  cable,  and  whefl  at 
fengtfriie  American  sailfOT  jumpe* through  the  Mrg»^ 


6**       t\ 


1  ^  ii 


s..-  ■.  ■ ' 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLAOTIC  TELEGRAPH.       149 

with  the  hawser  to  which  it  was  attached,  his  Excel- 
^  lency  was  among  the  first  to  Jay  hold  of  it  and  pull  it 
lustily  to  the  shore.  Indeed  eveiy  one  present  seemed 
desirous  of  having  a  hand  in  the  great  work;  and 
never  before  perhaps  were  there  so  many  willing  as- 
sistente,  at  'the  long  pull,  the  strong,  pull,  and  the 
pull  altogether.' 

"At  half.past  seven  o'clock  the  cable  was  hauled 
on  shore,  and  formal  presentation  was  dade  of  it  to- 
the  Lord  Lieutenant  by  Captain  Pennock,  of  the  Ni- 
agara; his  Excellency  expressing  a  hope  that  'the 
work  so  well  begun  would  be  carried  to  a  satisfactory 
completion."  - 

The  wire  having  been  secured  to  a  house  on  thov 
beach,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Day,  of  Kenmore,  advanced, 
and  offered  the  following  prayer: 

"0  Eternal  Ldrd  God,  who  alone  spreadest  out  the 
heavens,  and  rulest  the  raging  of  the  sea;  who  hast 
compassed  the  w^atera^ith^bfflmdsrtiJKday  and  night 
come  to  an  end;  ai^d  whom  the  winds  and  the  sea 
obey;  Jook  down  in  mercy,  we  beseech  thee,  upon  Us 
thy  servante,  who  now  approach  the  throne  of  grace; 
and  let  our  prayer  ascend  before  thee  with  acceptance! 
Thou  hast  commanded  and  encouraged  us,  in  all  oiv 
ways,  to  acknowledge  thee,  and  to  commit  our  works 
to  thee;  and  thou  hast  graciously  promised  to  direct 
„QTg,pathfi^  and  to  prosper  oar  handiworfc^iyBdeairl^ 


c^ 


A 


l^ 


V. 


,-/  ^,,   1-  '--(arrv«r^/_ 


150       HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  ". 

now  to  look  up  to  thee;  and  believing  that  without 
thy  help  and  blessing,  nothing  can  prosper  or  iucceed, 
we  humbly  commit  this  work,  and  all  who  are  en- 
gaged in  it,  to  thy  caire  and  guidance.    Let  it  please 

'  thee  to  grant  to  us  thy  servants  "wisdom  and  power,  to 
complete  what  we  have  been  led  by  thy  Providence  to 

^  undertake;  that  being  begun  and  carried  on  in  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  and  in  dependence  upon  thee,  it  may 
tend  to  thy  glory :  and  to  the  gpod  of  all  nations,  by 
promoting  the  increase  of  unityj  peace,  and  concord 

"Overrule,  we  pray  thee,  evfery  obstacle,  and  fe- 
niove  -every  difftculty  which  would  prevent  us  from 
succeeding  in  this  important  undertaking.  Control 
the  winds  and  the  sea  by  thy  Almighty  power,  and 
grant  us  such  favorable  weather  that  we  may  be  en- 
abled to  lay  the  CabJ^  safely  and  effectually.    And 

,  may  thy  hand  of  pow^r  and  mercy  be  sq  acknow- 
ledged by  all,  that  the  language  of  every  heart  may 
be,  'Kot  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy 
name  give*  glory,'  that  so  thy  name  may  be  hallowed 
and  magnified  in  us  and  by  us. 

"FlMy,  we  beseech  thee  to  implant  within  us  a 
spirit  of  humanity  and  childlike  dependence  upon 
thee;  and  teach  us  to  feel  as  well  as  to  sayVK  the 
Lord  will,  we  shall  do  this  or  that.' 

"Hear  us,  O  Lord,  and  answer  us  in  ^Siese  our 


petitions,  accordmg  to  thy  precious  proniiselterjesnr 
Christ's  sake.    Amen." 


til  * '    *. 

ill 


.'/i,*(,4.'4.;*J,»  „',«£.« 


[,.)   -.X-./ 


'  U 


'.  '^ 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        151- 


The  Lord  Lieutenant  then  spoke  once^more — words 
.that  amid  such  a  scene  and  at  such  an  hour,  sank  into 
all  hearts :  T 

"My  American,  English,  and  Lrish  friends,  I  feel  at 
such  a  moment  as  this  that  no  language  of  mine  can 
be  becoming  except  that  of  prayer  and  praise.  How- 
ever, it  is  allowable  lb  any  human  lips,  though  they 
have  not  been  specially  qualified  for  the  office,  to  raise 
the  ascription  of  *  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest  |  on 
earth  peace,  good- will  to  men,'  That,  I  believe,  is  the 
spirit  in  which  \his  great  work  hha  been  undertaken ; ' 
and  it  is  this  reflection  that  encjourages  me  to  feel  con- 
fident  hopes  in  its  final  sucq^.  I  believe  that  the 
great  work  now  so  happily  begun  will  accomplish 
many  great  and  noble  purposes  of  trade,  of  national' 
policy,  and  of  empire.  But  there  is  only  one  view  in 
which  I  will  present  it  to  those  whom,  I  have  the 
pleasure  to  address.  You  are  aware — ^you  must  know, 
some  of  you,  from  your  own  experience — that  many 
of  your  dear  friends  and  near  relatives  have  left  their 
native  land  to  receive  hospitable  shelter'  in  America. 
Well,  then,  I  do  not  expect  that  all  of  you  can  under- 
stand the  wondrous  mechanism  by  which  this  great 
undertaking  is  to  be  (Carried  on.  But  this,  I  think, 
you  all  of  you  undeis^tand.  K  you  wished  to  con^ 
municate  some  piece  of  intelligence  straightway  to 
""yoOTT^afiv^^cf^rffirwia^ly^IfW^^^^f^u^ 


^  ffi 


'^■•df.^' 


i  \b  t    i  .'  ^i^ 


,4i.« 


^   ■ 


ItX: 


W 


162       HISTORY  OP  THB  ATLANTIC  TBLKQBAPn. 

wiskqd  to  tell  those  whom  you  know  it  would  interest 
in  their  helirt  of  hearts,  of  a  birth,  or  a  marriage,  or, 
■  alas,  a  death,  among  you,  the  Httle  cord,  which  we 
have  now  hauled  up  to^tbe  shore,  will  impart  that 
tidings  quicker  than  the  flash  of  the  lightning.    Let 
us  indeed  hope,  let  us  pray  that  the  hopes  of  those 
who  have  set  on  foot  this  grejit  design,  may  be  re- 
warded by  its  entire  success;"  and  let  us  hope,  fur- 
ther, that  this  Atlantic /Cable  will,  in  all  future  time, 
serve  as  an  emblem  |f /that  strong  cord  of  love  which 
I  trust  will  alwayj  unite  the  British  islands  to  the 
great  continent  of  America. :  ^sAnd  you  will  join  me  in 
my  fervent  wish  that  the  Giver  of  aU  Good,  who  has 
I  enabled  some  of  his  servants  to  discern  so  much  of  the 
working  of  the  mighty  laws  by  which  he  fills  the  uni- 
verse, will  further  so  bless  this  wonderful  work,  as  to 
make  it  even  more  to  serve  the  high  purpose  of  the 
"  good  of  man,  and  tend  to  his  great  glory.    AM  now, 
all  my  friends,  as  there  can  be  no  project  or  under- 
taking which  ought  not  to  receive  the  apprpbation  and 
applause  of  the  people,  will  you  join  with  me  in  giv- 
ing three  hearty  cheers  for-  it?     p:K)ud'  cheering.] 
Three  cheers  are  not  enough  for  me— they  are  what 
^e  give  on  common  occasions— and  as  it'  i*  for  the 
success  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable,  I  must  have 
at  least  one  dozen  cheers.     [Loud  and  protracted 

rj '  ■  -^ — 


4t.i"  >.. 


-I.  -'-pj^'y 


HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       158 

Mr.  Brooking,  the  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com. 
mittee  of  the^Atlantio  Telegraph  Company,  then  ex- 
pressed the  Aanks  which  all  felt,  to  the  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant,  for  his  presence  on  that  occasion.    .... 

Then  there  were  loud  calls  for  Mr.  Ji^||b  He 
answered  in  a  few  short  sentences :         W^^^k,' 

"I  have  no  words  to  express  the  ^i  ^i^^^JlTgnU 
my  heart  to-night— it  beate  with  love  and^^^»  for 
eveiy  man,  woman  and  child  who  hears  me.    I  may 
say,  however,  that^  if  ever  at  the  other  side  of  the 
waters  now  before  us,  any  one  of  you  shall  present 
yourselves  at  my  door  aijd  say  that  you  took  hand  or 
part,  even  by  an  approving  smile,  in  our  work  here 
|to^ay,  you  shaU  have  a  true  American  welconf&.    I 
cannot  bind  myself  to  more,  and  shall  merely  say  : 
'What  God  has  joined  together,  let  not  man  put 
asunder.'" 

Thus  closed  this  most  interesting  scene.  The  Lord 
Lieutenant  was  obliged  to  return  at  once  to  the  cap- 
itaL  He  therefore  left,iand  posted  that  night  to  Kil- 
larney,  and  the  next  day  returned  by  special  train  to 
Dublin,  leaving  the  ships  to  complete  the  work  so 
happily  begun.  # 

The  landing  of  the  cable  took  place  on  Wednesday, 
the  fifth  of  August,  near,  the  hour  of  sunset.  As  it 
was  too  late  fo  proceed  that  evening,  the  ships  remained 

.•.A — , 3 ^ — ^JLta — .J . . -—Ll _ 


^  auuhor  till  the  moTQing.    Tfiey  got  under  weigh  at 


'#- 


7* 


^y|^'f^%A 


J^^/(    '       W5r^» 


164      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATMNTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

an  eaxly  hour,  but  were  soon  checked  by  an  accident 
which  detained  them  another  day.    Before  they  had 
^   gone  five  miles,  the  b^vy  shore  end  of  the  cable 
caught  in  the  machinery  and  parted.     The  Niagara 
put  back,  and  the  cable  was  "underrto"  the  whole 
'   distance.    At  length  the  end  was  lifted  out  of  the 
.      water  ahd  spliced  to  the  gigantic  coil,  and  as  it  drop- 
ped safely  to  the  bottom  of  the^ea,  the  mighty  ship 
began  to  stir.    At  first  she  moved  very  slowly,  not 
more  than  two  miles  an  hour,  to  avoid  the  danger  of 
•'accident;  but  the  feeling  that  they  are  at  last  away  is 
iteelf  a  relief.    The  ships  are  all  in  sight,  and  so  near 
that  they  can  hear  each  other's  bells.    The  Niagara,  as 
if  knowing  that  she  is  bound  for  the  land  out  of  whose 
^  forests  she  came,  bends  her  head  to  the  waves,  as  her 
%    /'^prow  is  turned  toward  her  native  shores. 

*  Slow  passed  the  hours  of  that  day.  But  all  went 
well,  and  t^^e  ships  were,  moving  out  into  the  broad 
Atlantic.  At  length  the  sun  went  dftwn  in  the  west, 
and  stars  came  out  on  the  face  of  the  deep.  But  no 
man  slept  A  thousand  eyes  werf  watching  a  great 
experiment  as  those  who  have  a  personal  interest  in 
the  issue.  All  througi  that  night,  and  through  the 
anxious  days  and  nights  that  followed,  there  was  a 
feeling  in  every  soul^ipn  board,  aa  if  a  friend  in  the 
cabin  were  at  the  turning-point  of  life  or  death,  and 

V  .  f 


|fck*»%Ll,,vj 


■spf- 


.  // 


-r- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLAJJITIC  TELEGRAPH.       155 

unnatural  silence  in  the  ship.  Men  paced  the  deck 
with  soft  and  muffled  tread,  speaking  only  in  whispers, 
as  if  a  loud  voice  or  a  heavy  footfall  might  snap  the 
vital  chord.  So  much  had  they  grown  to  feel  for  the 
enterprise,  that  the  cable  seemed  to  them  like  a  hu- 
man  creature,  on  whose  fate  they  hung,  as  if  it  were  to 
decide  their  own  destiny.  . 

There  are  some  who  will  never  forget  that  first 
night  at  sea.    Perhaps  the  reaction  frb^  the  excite- 
ment on  shore  made  the  impression  the  deeper.   What 
strange  thoughts  came  to  them  as  they  stood  on  the 
deck  and  watched  that  mysterious  chord  disappearing 
in  the  darkness*  and  gliding  to  its  ocean  bed  I    There 
are  certain  moments  in  life  when  ev^rjr  thing  comes 
back  upon  us,  when  the  events  of  year^  seem  crowded 
into  an  hour.    What  memories  came  up  in  those  long, 
night  hours!    How  many  on  board  that  ship  thought' 
of  homes  beyond  the  sea,  of  absent  ones,  of  the  distant 
and  the  dead  I     Such  thoughte,  mingling  with  those 
suggested  by  the  scene  around,  added  to  the  solem- 
nity  of  the  hour,  and  left  an  impression  which  can 
tfever  be  forgotten. 

But  with  the  work  in  hand  all  is  going  <in  well 
There  are  vigilant  eyes  on  deck.    Mr.  Bright,  the  en* 
gineer  of  the  Company,  is  there,  and  Mr.  Everett,  Mr. 
De  Sauty,  the  electrician,  and  Profeasor  Morse.    The 


iraymg-ottrmacHheiy  ty^^^g^  .^ 


h^-    ^J^X*      Atll«        i  ^H.    w-#  ^  ^ 


156      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLEGRArH. 

makes  a  constant  rumble  in  the  ship,  that  dull,  heavy 
sound  is  music  to  their  ears,  aa  ittells  them  that  all  ia 
well.  If  one  shoul4  drop  to  slee^,  and  wake  up  at 
night,  he  has  only  to  hear  the  sound  of  » the  old  coffee- 
mill,"  and  his  fears  are  relieved,  and  he  goes  to  sleep 

again. 

Saturday  was  a  day  of  beautiful  weather.     The"= 
ships  were  getting  farther  away  from  land,  and  began 
to  steam  ahead  at  the  rate  of  four  and  five  mUea 
an  hour.    The  cable  was  paid  out  at  a  speed  a  little 
faster  than  that  of  the  ship,  to  allow  for  any  inequali- 
ties of  surface  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea.    While  it  was 
thus  going  overboard,   communication  was  kept  up 
constantly  with  the  land.    Every  moment  the  current 
was  passing  between  ship  and  shore.    The  communi- 
cation was  as  perfect  as  between  Liverpool  and  Lon- 
don, or  Boston  and  New-York.  Not  only  did  the  elec- 
tricians telegraph  back  toValentia  the  progress  they 
were  making,  but  the  officers  on  board  sent  messages 
to  their  friends  in  America,  to  go  out  by  the  steamers 
from  Liverpool.     The  heavens  seemed  to  smile  on 
them  that  day.    The  coil^ame  up  from  below  the 
deck  without  a  kink,  and  unwinding  themselves  easily, 
.^passed  over  the  stern  inta  the  sea.    Once  or  twice  an 
alarm  was  created  by  the  cable  being  Hhrown  off  the 
wboels.    This  was  owing  to  the  sheaves  not  being 


wide  enough  and  deep^bug^irMaDeingtited-witi^ 


,..■.'/.  a' .iwlii&rtiSi 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       167 

tar,  which  hardened  in  the  air.  This  was  a  great  de- 
fect of  the . machinery  which  was  remeffied  in  the  later 
expeditions.  Still  it  worked  well,  and  soaong  as  those 
terrible  brakes  kept  off  their  iron  gripe,  it  might  work 
through  to  the  end.  ^ 

All  day  Sunday  the  same  favoring  fortune  con- 
tinued; and  when  the  officers,  who  cpuld  be  spared 
froin  the  deck,  met  in  the  cabin,  an^cfaptain  Hudson 
read  the  service,  it  was  with  subdued  voices  and  grate- 
ful  heafta  they  responded  to  the  prayerlto  ^^im  who 
spreadeth  out  the  heavens,  and  ruleth  the  "raging  of 
the  sea. 

On  Monday  they  were  over  two  hundred'  miles  to 
sea.    They  had  got  £ir  beyond  the  shallow  watehs  off 
the  coast.      They  had  passed  over  the    submarine 
mountain  which  figures  on  the  charts  of  Daymaivand 
Berryman^d  where  Mr.  Bright's  log  gives  a  descent  ^ 
from  five  hf  ndred  and  fifty  to  seventeen  Hundred  and^'^ 
fifty  fathoms  within  eight  miles  I    Then  they^ame  to 
the  deeper  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  wliere  the  cable 
sank  to  the  awful  depth  of  two  thousand  fathoms. 
Still  the  iron  cord  buried  itself  in  the  waves,  and 
every  instant  the  flash  of  light  in  the  darkened  tele- 
graph room  told  of  the  passage  of  the  electric  current. 
But  Monday  evening,  about  nme  o'clock,  occurred 
a  mysterious  interruption,   which   staggered  all  05L. 
-  Doardi    ^adueiiuy  -ttW^tjleutrjKjjti  contmuity  wua  loitr 


9 


,# 


# 


<vj>-  .'^ 


• 


'  158       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


■  )  ■ 


The  cable  wa,s  not  broken,  but  it  ceased  to "  work. 
Here  was  a  mystery.  De  Sauty  tried  it,  and  Professor 
Morse  tried  it.     But  neither  could  make  it  work.    It 

^seemed  that  all  was  over?^  The  electricians  gave  it  up, 
and  the  engineers  were  |)reparing  to  cut  the  cable,  and 
\f>  endeavor  to  wind  it  in,,  when  suddenly  the  electricity 
came  hack  again.    This  made  thi  mystery  greater  than 

^ever.  It  had  been  interrupted  for  two  hours  and  a 
balf.  This  was  a  pikenornqnon  which  has  nevjer  been 
explained.  Professor  Morse  was  of  opinion  that  the 
cable,  in  getting  off"  the  wheels,  had  been  strained  so 
aa  to  open  the  gutta-percha,  and  thus  destroy  the  in- 
sulati^.  If  this  b^the  true  explanation,  it  would 
seem  niat  on  jeachi^g  the  bottom  the  seam  had  closed, 
and  thus  the  continuity  had  been  restored.  But  it 
was  certainly  an  untoward  incident,  which  "  cast 
ominous  conjecture  on  the  whole  success,"  as  it  seem- 
ed to  iji^cate  that  there  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
causes  which  were  wholly  unknown  and  against  which 
it  was  impossible  to  provide. 

'  The  return  of  the  current  was  like  life  from  the 
dead.  Says  Mullaly :  "  The  glad  news  was  soon  cir- 
culated throughout  the  ship,  and  all  felt  as  if  they  had 

.  been  imbued  with  a  new  life.  A  rougfc,  weather- 
beaten  old  sailor,  who  had  assisted  in  coiling  many  a 
long  mile  of  it  on  board  the  Niagara,  and  who  was 
among  the  first  to  run  to  the  telegraph  office  to  have 


.  •«».■  t 


'-,'     .  ■  ^.  ','■}  .  it4',>^ 


i\ 


HISTOEY  OP  THE  ATLAtoo  TELEGeIpb.       159' 

the  ne™  epnfe^d,  said  he  would  have  iven  My 
dollars  out  of  his  pay  to  have  saved  thatlle.  ■! 
have  watched  nearly  We-ymfle  of  Jt  •  he  addeil.  'a,  it 

Z"  "™'  *'  ^''^'  '"^  '  -o'^d  h-ve  given  flL  dol- 
1«^  ppor  a  mau  as  I  aa,,  to  have  saved  it,  althlugh  I 

down 'T  h*°  °"''  ""^  *"«  "^  "  "''-  •'  ■>  M 
aown      In  h«  own  simple  way  he  expressed  Ih^  feel--' 
ings  of  eVeiy  ^.e  on  board,  for  all  a.^  as  mueh  iter-     ' 
ested  in  the  suecess  of  the  enterprise  as  the  largest 

eable  a.  they  would  of  a  pet  ehild,  and  never  las 
ohUd  treated  with  deeper  solieitude  than  that  wU 
wh.eh  the  cable  is  watched  by  then,.  You  could le 
he  tea™  standing  in  the  eyes  of  son>e  as  they  almS 
c.ed  for  joy  and  told  ,their  messma.^  that  ifwas  all 
right  It  wl^  indeed  a  great  relief;  and  though  stirt.  • 
"ir  ^"^^  «"  P-*  -d»ight,  a  few  e  J 

skep     But  before  the  morning  bro^-ihe  hopes  thus 
revived  were  again  anj  finally  dktroyed.  \ 

It  seems  that,  the  cable  was  running  ouf  felvat  1> 
the  rate  of  six  n^es  an  hour,  while  th!  ^l^Ml^    ' 
vanong  {.ut  aboitt  four.,    'n.is  was  suppo^^te  ^  . 
owmg  to  a  poweMunder-current    TO  check  th^       - 
waste,  the  engineer  applied  the  brakes  firmly,  which    r 
at  once  stopped  the  machine.    The  effect  was  to  bring 
JLhgJCT  rtmia  on  |tho  oahlu  tot  „^  in  the  water 


I 


&t    *> 


!■ 


I 


filX' 


*T  .IT 


>* 


1/ 


,,.  -,^ 


If 
160      HISTOBY  OP  ITHE  ATLANKO  TEii(|( 

<^ .  •■      „ :    1.'  i. 


}BAFH. 


?hof 


# 


'^ 


sverj 


The  8tern|i|  the  ship  was  j^own  in  the  -^~^-  ^-^^ 
sea,  and  a^l^l^se  upward  on  the  swe%:tp9  pre 
■was  too  ^^^'indlhe  cabl(9^|)artedJ  *"  .•■%'. '     '         ,&^ 
Insta^^^ihi^p^i^f^^  c*y  of  grief  and' 
dismay.    '  P^e  w^iiib^MK^^  ^fi^i  and  in 

a  few^mmaii^flk:i^|^^|ftfM^^  feelings 

which*  ^^^■•'^'''■fS^?^!^*^^  pi;esent 

wrote:  *^Tlie  ti^^|||^'^^S^  many  a  manly 

eye.  The%iteT;^if  ,&eli  In  lhe"^e^rprise  by  all, 
one,  offieerai4i'i<i  i^*^?  Exceeded  any  thing  I 
ir  mfj  and  t!]||e  is  no  wotider  that  there  should 
Ijaiirieen  80  much  ((||^otion  at  our  failure."  Captain 
HuaSaMya:  "  It  raiide  all  hands  of  us  through  the 
day  liF|i>J^i^iOfehold  or  family  whipb  had  lost  their 
dearest  fflKi,  for  officers  and  men  bad  been  deeply 
interested  inlihe  success  of  the  enterprise." 
ii.  T^rewas  notbing  left  but 'to  return  to  England. 
Tb^6c^r^idecidedupon,  is  thus  stated  in  a  private 
letter  of  Mr.  Field,  which,  thougb  intended  only  for 
bk  familji  tasiy  be  interesting  to  others :    . 


"  H;  M.  Stkamer  Lkopabd,  Thnreday,  i 
.August  18,  186Y.  i 


^ 


"  The  successful  laying  down  of  the  Atjaiitio  Tel- 
egraph Cable  is  put  off  for  a  %>rt  time,  but  its  final 
triumph  bas  been  fully  prov: JHh^  *^®  experience  thati 
-we  bate  bad^s^ae  w^ 


ITOBY.OP  IBE  ATLANTIC  MLEGBApi^^Jji^  ^ 

,™  P^r  SO  strong  as  at  iU  present  time,  and  I'feeP 
^.^  with  God's  blessing,  w.  shall  connect  Eu- 
a»fe  anff  America  with  the  electric  cord. 

-er  having  successfully  laid-^a.nd  part  of  the 

^™j      •■        „     ^       tt9  cable,  and  over  one  hun- 

d^fi't'l"    ""  "'''^'  '""'"  ^^-^  '™  -"-  i" 
depth.  Ae  brakes  ^ere  appUed  more  -firmly,  by  order 

gorng  out  so  fast,  and  it  parted. 

"I  retired  to  mystate-room  at  a  litfleafter  midnight- 
Monday  all  going  on  well,  and  at.  a  quarter  before 
four  ocloek  on  Tnesday  morning,  the  eletenft^n- 
8tan^  I  was  awoke  from  my  aleep  by  the  ciy  of  Stop     ■ 
bar,  back  her!  and  in  a  moment  Mt.  Bright  was  in  my 
room,  wuh  the  sad' intelligence  that  the  cable  was  bro- 

and  on  deck,  and  Captain  tlu&n  at  "once  signalei 
the  other  steamers  that  the  cable  had  parted,  and  in  a 
few  moments  Captain  Wainwrighti  of  the  leopard 

^„1  TT.?""^  "'  "^  Susquehanna,  were  ori 
board  of  the  Niagara.  ' 

;  "' I  «^«ested  Captax^Wlit^ghiS^f  ($*u^„de^  , 
of  the  BngHsh  Telegrapf  heet,  to  ord*  t^^Z ' 
non  to  iemain  with^e  Niagara..  *pd  Susquehann^  in        : 
jl  deep  part  of  the  Atlantic  for  a  few  days,'  to\y     \. 
certain  exppnente  which  wilf  b^ff  ^n,„t  y^,o^;-^ 


•tef'v 


^ 


■f 


\  ■ 


Hi 


'f 


'Tf^'t.'^^'im^^mm'r^ 


^\ 


162 


3T0RY  OF  THE  ATDANTIO  TELEQi^Pff. 


the  Leopard  aa 
"AUofmy 
and  in  a  few 


m  and  tllten^  sail  with  them,  back  to  England,  and  all 
wait  at  Plymouth  until  further' orders.  I  further  re- 
quested Captain  Wainwright  to  order  the  Cyclops  to 
sound  here  where  the  cable  parted,  and  tlien  steam 
back  to  Valentia,  with  letters  from  me  to  Dr.  White- 
house,  and  Mri  Saward,  the  Secretary  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company;  and  that  he  should  take  nae  in 
soon  as  possible  to  Portsmouth.  .. 
requests  were  cheerfully  complied  with, 
hours  the  Cyclops  had  sounded,  and 
found  the, bottom  at  two  thousand  fathoms,  and  was 
on  her  way  back  to  Yalentia  with  letters  from  me  ; 
the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon  were  connected  to- 
gether by  the/  cable,  and  engaged  in  trying  experi- 
ments ;  the  Susquehanna  in  attendance,  and  the  Leo- 
pard, with  your  affectionate on  board,  on '  her 

way  back  to  England^         .  \ 

"  In  my  letter  to  Dr.  Whiteh^use  I  requested  him 
to  telegraph/ to  London,  and  have  a  spewal  meeting  of 
the  Directors  called  for  twelve  o'clock  on  Saturday,  to 
decide  whie/ther  we  would  have  i^ore  cable  made  at 
once,  and /try  again  this  season,  or  wait  until  next 
year. 

"I  shall  close  this  letter  on  bpard,  so  as  to  have  it 
ready  to/mail  the  moment  we  Arrive  .at  Portsmouth, 
asl  wisin  to  leave  by  the  very^next -train  for  London, 
an  flfl-td  bft  there  in  time  to  m^et  thelDirectors  Satur* 


««isg»!»«»i»<^5r3ir»! 


t-^^ 


i^- 


HIOTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH        163 

day  noon,  and  read  them  my  report,  which  I  am  busy 
making  up.  i 

"Do  not  think  that  I  feel  discouraged,  or  am  in  low 
spinte,  for  I  am  not;  and  I  think  I'^ah  see  how  this 
accident  will  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company.  .  "^    - 

"All  the  ofacersand  men  on'  boari  of  the  Tel- 
egraph Fleet,  seem  to  take  the  greatest  interest  in  our 
enterprise,  and  are  very  desirous  to  go  out  in  the  ships 
the  next  time.  ^ 

"Since  my  arrival,  I  have  received  the  greatest 
kmdness  and  attention  from  all  whom  I  have  met  ' 
from*the  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  down  to  the 
cabm^boys  and  sailors.  The  inclosed  letter  from  the 
Knight  of  Kerry,  I  received  with  a  basket  of  hot- 
house fruit,  just  aa  we  were  getting  ready  to  leave 
Valentia  harbor.  Your -  n 

%  .  "  CrRus  W.  Field." 

The  day  that  this  waa  written,  Mr.  Field  landed'at 
Poiismouth,  and  at  once  hastened  tci  London  to  meeK 
the  Director^.  At  first  it  was  a  question  if  they  should 
renew  the  expedition  thiryear.  But  their  brief  expe- 
rience had  shown  the  need  of  more  ample  preparations 
for  their  next^^tempt.  They  required  six  hundred 
rtnles  more  of  cable  to  m^u|,  for  over  three  hun- 
dred lost  in  the  sea,  andlMbtide  a  surplus  so  as  to 


^w  riB^feffeffingsfioff  from  other  aw^^ 


t 


I? 


/. 


i  i  I 


'T-*-* 


164       HISTORY  OF  THl^aPLANTIO  TELEQBi^H.       - 

•    '  ^■■■^'■'         '      '  .   ■  '        ' 

especially  they  needed  better  macliinery  to  pay  out 
the  cable  iato  the  oceau.  These  prepa|^gipliiw5P|- 
ed  time,  and  before  they  could  be  made,  it  would-be 
late  in  the  ai^tptoi.  Hence  they  reluctantly  decided 
to  defer  the  ^el^fcition  till  another  year.  The  Niagara 
and  the  Agj|flaelc^on  therefore  discharged  their  cable 
at  Plymouj^ whence  the  Niagara  returned  home; 
and  Mr.  Field,  after  remaining  a  few  weeks  in  Lon- 
'don  to  coH\plete  the  'jiffeparatic)na  for  the  next  year, 
sailed  for  America,      j  \  Js- 

n,e  returned  to  find  that  a  commercial  hurricane 
had  swept  over  the  country,  in  which  a  thousand 
stately  foj^uties  had  goae^down,  at^d  in  which  the 
wealth  he  liad  accumiilatea  by  years  of  toil  had  near- 
ly suffered  shipwreck.  Such  were  tfeg  tidings  that 
met  him  on  landing.;  It  had  beerf  k  yfea:r  of  disi^ 
pointments  in  England  an 
land  and  sea — and  all  his  hi 

"      ■  'i 

U^e  deep  bosoi|;i  o£i|^^ean  buried.  ^ 


.eHo^ — of  1  digesters  oji 
hopes  were       \  „      ., 


% 


^T'. 
*';';. 


lip 
I. 

r 


'^' 


■  ■-:•* 


^      C 


.5% 


}  ''A^^ki' 


*v  . 


^% 


.rfo 


\     CHAPTER  ix. 


PMFAlUTIONg  FOB  A  SmOWD    ExPKDmOK         Mn     V  -  ^ 

-    «^||0F  THK  Dn«CT0B9.       ShaU.  THET  ABANDON 


■niK  Projeot  ?    Oi^m^Rs  Trial, 

'^th^'w  ^?^"  ^^1«^7  really  adv^ed 
,  .the  project  of  an  Atlantic  Telegraph-^ince  it  was  an 
experiment  on  a  grand  scale,  and  taught  many  lessons 
.     which  could  only  be  Wi.ed  bj  experiment-^till  the 
effect  was  to  weaken  public  confidence.    Hitherto  the 
^  ^nt^rpnse  had  been  ac^pted  by  the  people  of  En^- 
land  and  of  America-aknost  without  considering  ite 
magnitude  and  difficultjr.     They  had  token   it  for 
gi^nt^  as  a  thing  which  must  some  day  be  accom- 
plished by  human  skill  and  perseverance.     This  con- 
fidence  led  them  to  embark  their  means  in  it.    But 
now  It  had  been  tried  and  failed:    Thi«  fir.f.  .^p^i- 
^  opened  their  eyes  to  the  vastness  of  the  undertak- 


-.-H-Jiii^ijit*,  i.^i-'.vii^  /ba*       ■'  jti^'^i^jll 


'/   i' 


1  nir  Sv,^rt^7JlL^ 


166       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


t^ 


,  >  .* 


ing,  and  led  many  to  doubt  who  did  not  doubt  before. 
This  decline  of  popular  faith  was  felt  as  soon  as 
they  began  to  call  for  more  money.  People  reasoned 
that  if  the  former  attempt  Was  but  an  experiment,  it 
was  rather  a  costly  one.  The  loss  of  three  hundred 
and  thirty-five  miles  of  cable,  with  "the  postponement 
>  of  the  expedition  to  another  year,  "was  equivalent  to 
tL  loss  of  a  hundred  thousand  pounds.  To  make  this 
good,  the  Directors  had  to  enlarge  the  capital  of  the 
*  Company.  This  new  capital  was  not  so  readily  ob- 
tained. Those  who  had  subscribed  before,  thought 
they  had  lost  enough  ;  and  the  public  stood  aloof  till 
thev  could  see  the  result  of  the  next  "  experiment." 
The  projectors  found  'that  it  was  easy  to  go  with  the 
current  of  popular  enthusiasm,  but  very  hard  to-  stem  a 
growing  popular  distrust.  They  found  how  great  an 
element  of  success  in  all  public  enterprises  is  public 

confidence.  " 

But-against  this  very  revulsion  of  feeling  they  had 

*  been  already  warned.  The  Earl  of  Carlisle  the  year 
before  had  cautioned  them  against  being  too  sanguine 
of  immediate  results,  and  reminded  them  that  "  prelim- 
inary failure  was  even  the  law  and  Condition  of  ulti- 
mate success."  There  were  many  who  now  remember- 
ed  his  words,  and  on  whom  the  lesson  was  not  lost. 
But  whatever  the  depression  at  the  failure  of  the 

—  first  att<anpt  ta  lay  a  tel 


/// 


^//  5^'         ■        ■'''■■■ 


V  f      .y^jt^rf"!    -ir*'  *!f' 


\ 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       167 

r  ■  "  '■ 

at  tLe  thick-coming  disasters  on  land  and  sea,  it  did 
not  interfere  with,  renewed  and  vigorous  efforts  to  pre- 
pare for  a  secoiid  expedition.  The  Directors  gave  oi' 
dera  for  the  manufacture  of  seven  hundred  miles  of 
now  dable,  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  the  "previous 
year,  and  to  provide *a  surplus  against  all  contingen- 
cies. And  the  Government  promised  fl^ain  its  pow- 
erful aid.  (  /  ' 

In  America,  Mr.  Field  W^nt  on  to  "Wastington  to  ask 
a  second  time  the  use  of  the  ships,  which  had  already 
represented  the  country  so  well.    He  made  also  a 
special  request  fOr  the  services  of  Mr.  William  E. 
Everett. .  ^This  gentleman   had  been    the  Chief-En- 
gineer of  the  Niagara  the  year  before.     He   had 
watched  closely  I  the  paying-out   machme,  as  it  was 
put  together  on  the  deck,  an^  with  the  eye  of  a  prac- 
tised mechanic,  ]be  saw  that  it  would  never  do.    It 
was  too  cumbroup,  had  too  many  wheels,  and  especial- 
ly its  brakes  shut  down. with  a  gripe  that  would  snap 
the  strongest  chain  cable.    Mr.  Field  saw  that  this 
was  the  man  to  remedy  the  defects  of  the  old  machine, 
and  to  make  one  that  would  work  mom  smoothly. 
He  therefore  applied  especially  for;|if^Aces.    To 
the  credit  of  the  administration,  it  ^feaoim  both  re- 
quests in  the  most  handsome  mapiier.    •*  Th^e,"  said 
the  Secretary  oftKe  Kavy,  handing  Mr.  Field  the  dfli- 


letter,  ^^ibavfr^venjruu  ait  you^ask^t*^ 


#■ 

i^- 


- 'i|imn".»ii|nnuii'»i|j»i 


\  •  I) 

\ 


^ 


168      HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


\  '■  ■ 


-    t 


J*;' 


S  ; 


After  such  an  answer  te  did  not  wait  long;  The 
letter  is  dated  the  thirtietii  of  December,  and  in  .just 
one  week,  on  the  sixth  of  January,  he  sailed  in  the^  . 
Persia  for  England -with  Mr.  Everett.  Scarcely  had 
he  arrived  in  London  bef9re  he  was  made  the  General 
Manager  of 'the  Company,  with  control  of  the  entire  * 
staff,  including  electricians  and  engineers.  The  fol- 
lowing extra(Jt  from  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors, dated  Japuary  27,  1858, ,  explains  thfe  new 

'    position  to  which  he  was  invited  :  . 

"The  Directors  having  for  several  months  felt  that 

"-<it  would  greatly  advance  the  interests  of  this  enter-    - 
prise,  if  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  of  New- York,  could  be 
induced  to  come  over  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of 
undertaking  the  general  management  and  supervision 
of  all  the  various  arrangements  that  Would  be  requlrfed 
to  be  carried  out  before  the  sailing  of  the  next  expe<li-  . 
tion ;  application  was  made  to  Mr.  Field,  wjtk  the  v^ 
of  securing  his  cohsent  to  the  proposal,  and  he  arrivro 
in  this  country  Of  the  sixteenth  instant,  when  it  was  ., 
ascertained  that  he  would  ba  willing,  if  unanimously 
desired  by  the  Difebtors,  to  act  in  behalf  of  the  Oortk- 
,  pany  as  proposed;  ilnd  Mr. Field  having  retired,  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  to  tender   him,  in  reBpeotto,' 
such  services,  the  sum  of  J£1000  over  and  above  hia* 

l^trttvolling  and  other  fixpeiisea,  aaymiing^a^ 


^ 


\'4 


-  \m 


■V 


irhis  rjBSolution'was  at  once  communicated^  to  Mr.    ^- 


f 


!t  '  -^i  >  {*-"■"  ■" 


•»    s 


!;« 


lii': 


•  I. 


K 


r 


/        HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       169 

Keld,  who  replied  that  he  would  undertake  the  duties 
Of  General  Manager,  but  declined  the  offer  of  ^lOOO 
prefemng  to  give  M^services  to  the  Company  without ' 
any  compensation,    mereupon  the  Directors  imme- 
•  H*a*ely  passed  another  resolution : 

"That  Mr.  "Field's  kind  and  generous  offer  be  ac- 
^cepted  by  this  Board;  and,that  their  best  thanks  are 
..hereby-tendered  to  him  for  his  devotion^to  the  inter- 

6sts  of  this  undertaking." 
;      The  following,  passed  a  few  weeks  later,  on  the 
twenty-siipth  of  March,  was  designed  to  emphasize  the 
authomy  given  over  all  the  employes  of  the  Company  • ' 
;     ^^"fesolveH  That  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  General  Man- 
-  ftgCT  ofthe  Company,  is  hereby  authorized  and  em- 
■  |)o^re<i|o  give  such  directions  and  orders  to  the  offi- 
cers composing  the  Maff  of  the  Compariy,  as  he  may 
^oA  time  to  time  deem  necessary  and  expedient  with 
|e^ard  to  aU  matters  connected  with  the  business  pro- 
feedings  of  the  Company,  subject  to  the  control  of  th* 
•  ^;  Directora         -^-.  .■  , .    : 

•V 1  ^'*''"'  '^^^*  *^^  '*^^  °^  *^^  ^pany  be  noti- 
-  ^ed. hereof,  and  required  to  observe  and  follow  such' 
dir|5tion8  as  may  be  issued  by  the  Gerieral  Manager." 

*^''^"'J^'^^'  ^'^^^  ^^  *^5»  invested  with  the  entire 
^  iPffiirge  hf  t^jpreparatioiia  for  the  next  expedition  hk 
^  was  i^adewsponsible  for  il^  and  felt  it.due  alike  to 
htM^  midu.  (lie  Oompny  to  omit,^  meani  to  inT^ 


<v 


:• 


J 


0 


S 


''  .•  V 


v: 


•I', 


•»  J. 


li  «kl^* 


•  V  1'" 


# 


.Pi 


^r'fS<l 


S-     ' 


-''    ;»h 


...#•'     — 


170       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

sure  success.    It  was  therefore  his  duty  to  examine 
into  every.  detaH.     The  manufacture  of  the  new  cable 
was  already  under  way,  and  tUere  was  no  opportu- 
nity to  make  any  change  in  its  construction,  even  if 
any  had  been  desired.     But  there  was  another  matter 
which  was  quite  as  important  to  success— the  construc- 
tion of  the  payiAg-out  machines.    This  had  been  the 
great  defect  of  the  previous  year,  and,  while  it  con- 
tinued, would  render  success  almost  impossible.    No 
matter  how  many  hundreds  or  thousands  of  miles  of 
cable  might  be  made,  if  the  machinery  was  not  fitted 
to  pay  it  out  into  the  sea,  it  would  be  constantly 
broken.     To  remedy  these  defects  was  an  object  of 
anxious  solicitude,  and  to  this  the  new  manager  gate 
his  first  attention.    Hardly  was  he  in  London  before 
.  Mr.  Everett  was  installed  at  the  large  machine  works  . 
of  Easton  and  Amos;  in  South wark,  where,  surrounded 
by  plans  and  models,  he  devoted  himself  for  throe 
months  to  studying  out  a  better  inyention  for  this 
most  important  work.    At  the  end  of  that  time  he  had 
a  model  complete,  and  invited  a  number  of  the  most 
.  eminent  engineers  of  London  to  witness  its  operation. 
Among  these  were  Mr.  Brunei,  and  Messrs.  Lloyd, 
Penn,  and  Field,  who  had  given  the  enterprise  the 
benefit  of  their  counsel  for  months,  refusing  all  com- 
pensation; Mr.  Charles  T.  B^ght,  the  «ngiiieei^  of  the 
Cotnpany,  and  his  two  assistants,  Jfr,  Winning  and  Mr 


.yi 


.. 


,. 


1  ■■   '"  "'     ' 


fi 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        171  . 

Clifford,  and  Mr.  Follansbee,  Chief-Engineer  of  the 
Niagara,  the  place  which  Mr,  Everett  had  occupied 
,  the  year  before.     The  machine  was  set  in  motion,  and 
all  saw  its  operation,  while  Mr.  Everett  explained  its 
parts,  and  the  difficulties  which  he  had  tried  t6  over- 
V  come.    It  was  obvious  at  a  glance  t&at  it  was  an  im- 
mense imprbvement  on  that  of  the  former  year.    It 
was  much  smaller  and  ligl^ter.    It  would  take  up  only 
about  one  thijd  as  much  room  on  the  deck,  and  had 
only  one  fourth  the. weight  of  the  old  machine.    Its 
construction  waS  much  more  simple.    Instead  of  four 
heavy  wheels,  it  had  but  two,  and  thefee  were  made  to 
revolve  with  ease,   and  without  danger  of  sudden      ' 
check,  by  the  application  of  what  \^e  kn^own  as  self- 
releasing  brakes,     these  were  the  invention  of  Mr. 
Appold,  of  London,  a  gentleman  of  foitune,  but  with 
a  strong  taste  for  mechanics,  whicl^  )ed  him  to  spend 
his  time  and  wealth.»in  exercising  his  i^oftanical  ingc: 
nuity.    These  brakes  were  so  adjusted  a»  to  l^ar  only 
a  certain  strain,  when  they  released  themselves.    This 
ingenious  contrivance  was  applied  by  ^.  Everett  to       ' 
the  paying-out  machinery.    .The  strength  of  the  cable' 
was  such  that  it  woujd  not  break  except  under  a  pres- 
sure of  a  little  over*hree  tons.  .  The  maoM^iety  was 
■  80  adjusted  that  no"i  move  than  half  ,that  strain  could 
ppssibly  come  upon  the  cable,  when  the  brakes  would 


if*' 


^    .7V  k 


1'» 


>*«1 


/^Jl 


^^ 


*  »  » 


Jt 


172      mSTOBT  OF  THE  (ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

•  i\  ' 

^  cable  run  out  into  the  sea  "  at  its  own  sweet  will." 
The  "paying-oijrni'achine,  therefore,  we  ar©  far  irom 
claiming  as  wholly  an  American  invention.    This  part 
of  the  mechanism  was  English.    The  merit  of  Mr. 
Everett  lay  in,th@_gkai  with  which  he  adapted  it  to  the 
lading  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  and  in  hid  great  improve- 
ments of  fither  parts  of  the  machinery.    The  whole 
constrijction,  a?  it  afterwards  ^od  upon  the  decks  of 
the  Niagara  and  ihe  Agamemnon,  was  th6  combined 
product  of  English  and  American  invention^    The 
engineers,  who,  now  saw  it  for  the  first  time,  were- de- 
lighted    It  seemed  to  have  the  intelligence  of  a  hu- 
man being,  tp  know  when  to  hold  on,  and  when  to  let 
ga    All  fel^  that  the  great  difficulty  in  laying  the 
"cable  was  removed,  and  that  under  this  gentfe  mani- 
pulation it  would  glifie  easily  and  smoothly  from  the 
ship'.into  the  sea.         \       :  - , 

While  these  preparations  were  going  on  in  London, 

the  Niagara:;^ 'l^hich  did  pot  leave  New- York  till  the 

ninth  of  March,  arrived^  "at  Plymouth,  under  command  . 

of  Captain  Hudson,  to  take  on  board  her  share  of  the 

cable. '   Both  ships  had  discharged  their  burden  at 

Koyham  Docks,  where  the  precious  freight  was  passed 

through  a  composition  of  tar  And  pitch  and  liilseed- 

oil  and  l(eeswax,  to  preserve  it  frpm  injury,  and  then 

had  been  coiled  under  co'^rer  to  be  kept  safely  {hrough 

the  wiiiter,-  The  Agartiemnon  was  already  at  PlymomtyL 


)• 


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HIBTOET  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       05 

having  been  designated  by  the  Admiralty  again  to  take 
part  in  the  work — ^though  under  a  new  commander, 
,  .Captain  George  W.  Preedy,  a  very  excellent  officer. 
The  place  of  the  Leopard  was  taken  by  the  Gorgon, 
under  command  of  Captain  Dayman,  who  had  made^ 
the  deep-sea  soundings  in  the  Cyclops  the^  year  before. 
While  the  English  Government  was  thus  prompt  in 
firmisliing  its  ships,  news  arrived  fromTAiSrica  that 
the  Company  could  not  have  again  the  assistance  of 
the  Susquehanna,  which  had  accompanidd'the  Niagara 
^  the  year  before.    She  was  in  the  West-Indies,  and  the 
yellow  fever  had  broken  out  on  board.*  What  should 
be  done-?    It  was  late  to  apply  i^in  to  thfe  American 
Government, -ang^it  was  doubtful  what  would' be  the 
result  of  tiie  'amplication.    This  threatened  some  em- 
bSrraaament.    Mr.  Field  resolved  the  difficulty  ^in  a 
way  which  showed  his  confidence  in  the  great  and  gen^ 
erous  G(wremment  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  with 
which  he  had  occasion  so  often  to  deal.  Without  wait- 
ing for  the  action  of  the  ^drnpany,  he  called  a  cab, 
and  drove  straight  to  the  Admiralty,  and  sent  in  his 
cani  to  Sir  John  Pakington,  then  fir^t  liord  of  the 
Adiiiiralty,    This  gentlen;an,4ike  his  predecessor,  Sir 
Charles  Wood;  had  shown  the  most  friendly  interest 
in-  the  Atlfttic  Telegraph,  and  given  it  his  w^est  • 
■upport.    M£  Field  was  received  at  ono6,  and-  began 


i  With  truo  Amorioan  gogoruuaa ;  "  I  am  agL^tmayi  t^ 


'•1,- 


.#'• 


aim, 


lb, Ski    t 


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• 


J   ''■-m'\p^4^WA, 


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174     Hisrosr  c»  •she  atlantio  telegraphs 

come  to  you,  afisr  irhat  the  English  Government  has 
^•m  foT  Ae  Atlantic  Telegraph.  But  here  is  ourcsase. 
We  are  diappointed  in  the  Susquehanna.    She  is  in 
the  West-Indies,  ^waih  the  yellow  fever  on^board.    She 
cannot  come  to  liagland  to  take  part  in  the  expedi- 
tion.    '3an  you  do  any  thing  for  us?"    Sir  John  re- 
plied smt  the  Q-ovemmer:  had  not  ships  Enough  fot 
Its  own  use ;  that  it  was  at  that  very  moDtient  charter- 
lag  vessels  to  take  troops  to  Malta—"  but  he  would  see 
what  he  could  do."    In  an  hour  or  two  he  sent  word  to 
the  office  of  the  CompMiy,  that  Her  Majesty's  ship 
V^alorous— commanded  bj  Captain  W.  C.  Aldham,  an 
officer  of  great  experience— had  been  ordered  to  take 
the  place  of  the  Susquehanna  in  the  next  expedition. 
We  mention  this  little  incident,  not  so  much  to  illus- 
trate Mr.  Field's  prompt  and  quick  manner  of  decid- 
ing and  acting,  as  to  show  the  noble  and  generous 
spirit  in  which  the  English  Government  responded  to 
every  appeal 

The  r^shipping  of  the  cable  at  Plymouth  occupied 
•the  whole  month  of  April  and  part  of  May.  Some 
changes  were  made  in  the  mode  adopted,  it  being 
coiled  around  large  cones.  The  work  was  done  as 
before,  by  a  hundred  and  sixty  men  detailed  for  the 
purpose,  of  whom  one  fourth  were  the  workmen  of 
the  Company,  and  the  rest  sailors  who  had  volunteei 
for  the  duty.    These  were  divided  into  gangs  of  forti 


>^ 


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HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH:'      176 

that  relieved  each  other,  by  which  the  work  went  on 
day  and  night.    In  this  way  they  coiJed  about  ,thirty 
miles  in  tlft  twenty-four  hours.     Owing  to  the  in- 
creased length  of  cable,  and ^the  greater  care  in  coUin^^ 
^  It  took  a  long*  time  than  the  year  before.     The  whole 
.  was  completed  about  .the  middle  of  May.     There  was 
then  in  all,  oVbjOard  the  two  ships,  a  little  over  three 
thousand  miles.    This  included,  besides  seven  hun- 
dred miles  of  new  cable,  thirty-nine  miles  of  that  lost 
the  year  before,  which  had  been  recovered  hy  tlie 
company,  and  a  few  miles  of  condemned  cable\from; 
Greenwich,  which  was  put  on  board  for  experiments. 
The  shipment  being  thus  cdUplete,  and  the  paying-out 
machines  in  position, 'the  ships  were  ready  to  make  a 
trial  trip,  preparatory  to  their  final  departure.  ■ 

For  this  purpose  the  telegraphic  squadron  sailed 
from  Plymouth  on  Saturday,  the  twenty-ninth  of  May, 
and  bore  southward  two  or  three  hundred  miles,  till 
the  green  color  of  the  sea  changing  to  ^  deep  blue, 
showed  that  they  had  reached  the  great  depths  of  the 
ocean.    They  t^ere  now  in  the  waters  of  the  Bay  of 
Biscay;  where  the  soundings  were  over  twenty-five  hun- 
dred fathoms.     HeretheNiag^  and  the  Agamemnon 
were  hu^g  together  by  a  hawjfer,  being  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  apart.    Then  the  cable  was  passed  from 
•one  to  {he  other,  and  a  series  of  experiments  began, 


■  V 


^^P^^^^^^^r^BrtSr^^pIWlheca^leanaihe 


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176      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  ' 

working  of  the  machinery.  Two  miles  of  the  cable  / 
were  paid^  out,  when  it  parted.  This  would  have 
seemed  a  bad  sign,  had  it  been  any  other  part  of  the 
cable  than  that  which  was  known  to  be  impejfect  and 
had  long  since  been- condemned.  The  next  day  three 
miles  were  paid  out.  This,  too,  was  broken,  but  only 
when  they  tried  to  haul  it  in,  and  ^nder  a  pressure  of 
several  tons. 

Other  experiments  were  tried,  such  as  splicing  the 
cable,  and  lowering  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea — an 
operation  whicli  it  was  thought  might  be  critical  in 
mid-ocean,  but  which  was  performed  with<rtrt  djflacul|pr 
— and  running  out  the  cable  at  a  rapid  rate,  when  tne 
speed  of  the  ship  was  increased  to  seven  knotsjwithout 
causing  the  cable  to  break,  or  even  to  kink/  Dn  the 
whV)le,  the  result  of  the  trip  was  regaled  fle  satisfac- 
tory. The  paying-out  machine  of  Mr.  Ev6rett  worked 
well,  and  the  electric  continuity  through;  the  whole 
-cable  was  perfect.  After  thesefexperimer^  the  squad- 
ron returned  to  Plymouth.     ; 

Two  days  after,  Saturday,  the  fifth  c/f  June,  it  waa^ 
the  fortA^ne  of  the  writer  to  arrive  in  Plymouth,  and  to' 
witness  the  final  preparations  for  the^aeparture  of  the 
txpedition.    It  wa§  his  privilege  td  Mtend  divine  ser- 
vice on  board  the  Nia^a  the  last  S^ibath  before  she 
sailed.    Never  can  he  forget  that  daj 


ik 


.—^ 


/^ 


\~^ 


So  pure,  BO  ualui;  m  brigtit, 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and/sky. 


t...^  \    kiikLj 


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"l  'i'.'"?''';-  '^y.'^fpsil' 


HISTORY  OJ  THE  jVTLANTIO  TBLJEQBAJPH.       177 

' ^.■■■■■"■'"""^"  i  -  ■.  ,     "•     / 

The  squadron  lay  all  together  in  Plymouth  Sbund. 
Looking  at  those  great  ships,  turned  from  their^office 
of  war  to  bo  messengers  of  peace  and  good-will,  they 
seemed  "truly  "  beautiful  upon  the  waters  aa  are  the 
feet  upon  the  mountains  of  those  who  publish  the  gospel 
of  peace."*  ,     . 

^     Among  the  matters  of  personal  solicitude  and  anx- 
iety at  this  time — next  to  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion—was Mr.  Field  himself.     He  was  working  with 
an  activity  which  was  Unnatural — which  could  only  ' 
be  kept  up  by  great  excitement,  and  which  involved  / 
tihe  most  serious  danger.     TJie  strain  on  the  man  was  • 
more  than  the  strain  on  the  cable,  and  we  were  in  fear 
that  both  would  break  together.     Offik  he  had  no 


.*^ 


'.-• , 


sleep,  except  such  as  he  caught  flyina;  oJ^the  railway.  • 
tndeted,  when  w6  remonstrated,  he  said'  be  xjould  rest 
better  there  than  anywhere-  else,  fejr  then  \iq  w:as  not 
tonpented  with  the  thought  of  any  thing  undone. 
For  the  time  being  he  could  do  np  more ;  and  then 
putting  his  head  in  the  cushioned  corper  of  the  car- 
riage, he  got  an  hour  or  two  of  broken  sleep... 
0#this  activity  ;vjre*  had  an  instanco^etlile  in  Ply- 
^  mouth.  •  The  ships  were  then  lying  in  t*  Sound,  only 
waiting  orderji  fix>m  .thg^  Admiralty  to  go  to' sea;  but  - 
some  business  required  one  of  the  Director's  t<y  go  to 


Paris,  and  as  usual,  it  fell  upon  Kin^    He  J^flT^n  Sun 


*  ^peeob  of  the  Earl  of  CacUale  at 


\ 


0  yea^tiefbre. 


1 1 


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'  -TT"-  I  ^  v'J, 


178      HISTORY  OF  THE, ATLANTie  TELEG^ipH. 

day  night  and  went  to  Bristol,  and  thence,  by  the  first 
morning  train,  to  London.  Monday  he  was  busy  all 
day,  aiid  that  night  wentvto  Paris.  Tuesday,  another 
busy  Tky,  and  that  night  back  to  London.  Wednes- 
day, occupied  every  minute  till  the  departure  of  the  ° 
Great  Western  train.  That  night  back  to  Plymouth. 
Thursday  morning  on  board  the  Niagara,  and  imme- 
diately the  squadron  sailed. 

It  was  the^j^iti^  day  of  June  that  the  expedition  left 
England,  Vi^m  tUir  skies  and  bright  prospects.    In 
truth,  it  w^^  ^;;Jlant  sight,  as  these  four  ships  stood 
out  to  sea  t(f^pier— those  old  companions,  the' Ni- 
agara and  the  Agamemnon,  leading  the  way,  followed 
by  their  new  attendants,  the  Valorous  and  the  Gor- 
;  gon.  ,  Never  did  a  voyage  begin  with  better  omens. 
The  day  was  one  of  the  mildest  of  June,  and  the  sea 
so  still,  that  one  could  scarcely  perceive,  by  the  mo- 
tion of  the  ship,  when  they  passed  beyondrthe  break- 
water off  Plymouth  harbor  into  the  channel j  or  into 
the  open  sea.    At  nig^it,  it  was  almost  a  dead  calm. 
The  second  day  was  like  the  first.     There  was  scarce- 
ly wind  enough  to  flwell  the  sails..,  The  ships  were 
all  in  sight,  arid  as  they  Jcept  under  easy  steam,  they 
seemed  bound  on  a  Voyage  of  pleasure,  Riding  over  a 
fiunmaefsek  to  certain  success.  .  .    ^  . 

It  had  been  supposed  that  the  expeditioil  of  this 
jear  would  have  a  great  adv^tage  over  the  3ast,^r^a^ 


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V,. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      179 

sailing  two  months  ^lier,  at  what  was  ||pkdered  a 
more  favorable  season.  So  said  all  the  Vise  .men  of 
the  sea.  They  had  given  their  opinion  that  June 
was  the  best  month  for  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Then 
they  were  almost  sure  of  fan:  weather.  The  first  three 
days  of  the  voyage  confirmed  these  predictions,  and 
they  who  had  made  them,  being  found  true  prophets, 
•  shook  their  heads  with  great  satisfaction. 

But  alas  I  for  the  vanity  of  human  expectations,  or 
for  those  who  put  trust  in  the  "  treacherous  sea."    On 
Sunday  it  began  to  blow.    The  barometer  fell,  and  all 
signs  indicated  to  the  eyes  of  a  seaman  rough  weather. 
From  this  tini^hey  had  a  succession  of  gales  for  more 
than  a  week.    From  day  to  day  it  blew  fiercer  than 
before,  till  Sunday,  the  twentieth,  when  the  gale  was 
at  its  height,  and  the  spirit  of  the  storm  was  out  on  the 
Atlantic.     Up  to  this  time  the  Niagara  and  the  Aga- 
memnon (though  they^had  long  since  parted  from  the 
Valorous  and  the  Gorgon)  had  managed  to  keep  in 
sight  of  each  other;  and  now  from  the  deck  of  the 
former  the  latter  was  seen  a  mile  and  a  half  distant^ 
rolling  heavily  in  the  sea.    The  signals  which,  she 
made  showed  that  she  wal  strugjgl 
the  gale.    She  Waa  really  in  great 
ing.    But  this  wag  owing,  not  i 
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Corporation 


23  WtST  MAIN  STRUT 
WCBSTIR,N.Y.  I45t0 
(71«)  172-4503       * 


•     - 


180 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPH. 


/ 


Only  a  few  days- before  this  we  had  beeiLoa  board  of 
Her,  and  Captain  Preedj  showed  us,  in  one  coil,  thir- 
teen  hundred- miles  of  cable  I  '  This  made  a' dead 
weight  of  as  many  hundred  tons,  which  rendered  her 
in  rough  weather  almost  unmanageable.    To  make  the 
matter  worse,  she  had  another  eoil  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons  on  the,  forward  deck,  where  it 
made  the  head  of  the  ship  heavy.    In  her  tremendous 
rolls,  this  coil  broke'  loose,  and  threatened  at  a  time  to 
dash  like  an  avalanche  through  the  side  of  t^e  ship. 
But  at  the  most  fearful  momenta  the  gallant  seaman  in 
command  never  lost  his  presence  of  mind.    He  was 
.always  on  deck,  watching  with  a  vigilant  eye  the 
*  raging  of  the  tempest,  and  issuing  his  ordera  with 
coolness  and  prompt  decision.     ^-«his  admirable 
skill  was  due  the  safety  of  the  ship,  and  of  all  on 
board.* 

But  all  things  have  an  end  ;  and  this  long  gale  at 
last  blew  itself  out,'  and  the  weary  ocean  rocked  itself 
to  rest.    Toward  the  last  of  the  week  the  squadron 

*  Ab  there  is  no  trouble  without  a  oompensation,  it  is  something  that 
this  Toyage,  fearful  as  it  was,  furnished  a  subject  for  a^description  of 
marvellous  power.  The  letter  to  the  London  Times,  written  by  Mr 
Woods,  its  correspondent  on  board  the  Agamemnon,  is  one  of  the 
finest  desoriptions  of  a  storm  at  aea  we  know  of  in  the  language.  It  is 
•  wonderful  specimen  of  "word-painting,"  and  in  the  vividness  with 
which  it  brings  the  scene  before  us,  may  be  compared  with  the  marine 
paintbgs  of  Stanfield  or  Turner. 


% 


T" 


.^M"**' 

^0^^*^ 


* 


K:&l-:.i-,'v..'4-^ L  ^V  _,-^..j 


/: 


.•\ 


■> 


HISTORY  OF  THE.  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       181 

got  together  at  the  appointed  rendezvous  i^.  mid-ocean. 
As  the  ships  came  in  sight,  the  angry  sea'  went^owA 
and  on  Friday,  June  twenty-fifth,  just  fifl^n  days 
from  Plymouth,  they  were  all  together,  as  tranquil  in 
Ibe-THiddle  of  the  Atlaijitic  as  if  in  Bymouth  Sound. 
"  Thig  evening  the  four  vessels  lay  together  side  by 
side,  and  there  waa  sueh  a  stillness  in  the  sea  and  air, 
aa  would  have  seemed  remarkable  in  an  inland  lake  ; 
on  the  Atlantic,  and  after  what  we  had  all  so  lately 
witnessed,  it  seemed  almost  unnatural."    The  boats 
were  out,  and  the  officers  were  visiting  from  ship 
to  ship,  telling  their  experiences  of  the  voyage,  and 
foiling  their  plans  for  the  morrow.  Captains  Aldham 
and  Dayman  said  it  waa  the  worst  weather  they  had 
ever  experienced  in  the  North-Atrantic.    But  it  waa 
the  Agamemnon   that  suffered   most     The  rough 
sea  had  shaken  not  only  the  ship,  but  the  cakHi  in 
her.    The  upper  part  of  the  main  coil  had  shifted,  and 
become  so  twisted  and  tangled,  that  a  hundred  milea 
had  to  be  got  out  and  coiled  in  another  part  of  the 
ship,  so  that  it  was  not  till  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
the  twenty-sixth,  that  the  splice  was  finally  made,  and 
the  cable  lowered  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.    The  ships 
were  then  got  under  weigh,  but  had  not  gone  three 
miles,  before  the  cable  broke,  being  caught  in  the  ma- 
cliinery  on  board  the  Niagara.    It  was  fortunate  they- 
Jbad  gjne  ao  further.   Both  ships  at  once  turned 


yj^f ' 


^ 


'A 


V* 


i^)*I'*\ 


^^V^■..fi!•■ 


(' 


182      HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.       . 

and  spliced  again  the  same  afternoon,  and  made  a  fresh 
start  Now  all  went  well.  The  pajing-out  machines 
worked  smoothly,  and  the  cable  ran' off  easily  into  the 
,  sea.  Thus  each  ship  had  paid  out  about  forty  miles 
when  suddenly  the  current  ceased  I 

Says  the  writer  on  the  Agamemnon;  "At  half-past 
three  o'clock  [Sunday  morning]  forty  miles  had  gone 
and  nothmg  could  be  more  perfect  and  regular  than 
the  working  of  everything,  when  suddenly  Professor 
Thompson  came  on  deck,  and  reported  a  total  break 
of  continuity;  that  the  cable  in  fact  had  parted,  and 
as  was  beHered  at  the  time,  from  the  Niagara,    hy 
another  instant  a  gurf  and  a  blue-light  warned^ 
Valorous  of  what  had  happened,  and  roused- JHf 
board  the  Agamemnon  to  a  knowledge  that  ite^. 
chmery  waa  silent,  and  that  the  first  part  of  .ifie  At- 
lantic Cable  had  been  laid  and  lost  effectually." 

This  was  disheartening,  but  not  so  much'' from  the 
fact  of  a  fresh  breaking  of  the  cable,  as  from  the  mys- 
tery as  to  ita  cause.    The  fact^  of  course,  was  known 
instantly  on  both  ships,  but  the  caua^was  unknown 
Those  on  each  ship  supposed  it  had  occurred  6n  the 
other.    With  this  impression,  they  turned  about  to 
beat  up  again  toward  the  rendezvous.    It  was  noon  of 
Monday,  the  twenty-eighth,  before  the  Agamemnon 
rejoined  Ihe  Niagara ;  and  then,  says  the  writer  already      • 
quoted :  "  While  all  were  waiting  with  impatience  for 


..  .> ',-;  ».iiiii!.j(i.,M 


rv^. 


J^v:i^^n, 


> 


^. 


mSTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH,   183 

her  explanation  of  how  they  broke  the  cable,  she 
electrified  every  one  by  running  up  the  interrogatory : 
'  How  did  the  cable  part  ? '    This  was  astounding.    Aa. 
soon  as  the  boats  could  be  lowered,  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, 
with  the  electricians  from  the  Niagara,  came,on  board, 
and  a  comparison  of  logs  showed  the  painful  and 
mysterious  fact  that,  at  the  same  second  of  time,  each. 
vessel  discovered  that  a  total  fracture  had  taken  place 
at  a  distance  of  certainly  not  less  than  ten  miles  fr^jp 
each  ship;  in  fact,  as  well 'as  can  be  judged,  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocea».     Tl^at  of  all  the  many  mishaps 
connected  with  thfe-  Atlantic  Telegraph,  this  is  the 
W6rst  and  most  disheartening  is  certain,  since  it  proves 
that,  after  all  that  human  skill  and  science  can  eflfect 
to  lay  the  wire  down  with*safety  has  been  accomplish-     ' 
^  there  may  be  some  fetal  obstacle?  to  success  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  which  can  never 'be  guarded 
against ;  for  even  the. nature  of  the  peril  mtist  always 
remain  as  secret  and  unknown  as  the  depths  in  which 
it  is  to  be  encountered."  ,  ,    ^ 

But  it  was  no  time  for  useless  r^retsr.  Once  more 
the  cable  was  joined  in  mid-ocean,  and  dropped  to  its  ' 
silent  bed,  and  the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon  be- 
gan to  steam  away  toward  opposite  shores  of  the  At- 
lantic, This  time  the  experiment  succeeded  better 
than  before.  The  progress  of  the  dnglish  ship  is  thua 
reported! 


I 


/I 


'V. 


.■'^^iiiJc£.-i^a^fe} 


f^' 


*       -         ,.      ^  -  -Y 1  • 


i  . 


1  IJ'J-^  '.("Eikif^    ^''^^l 


184 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBATH. 


\    "At  fiist,  the  ship's  speed  was  only  two  knots,  the 
cable  going  three  and  three  and  a  hal^  with  a  stniin 
.     of  fifteen  hundred  pounds.    By  and  by,  however,  the 
speed  was  increased  to  four  knote,  the  cable  going  five 
at  a  strain  of  two  thousand  pounds.     At  this  rate  it 
was  kept,  with  trifling  variations,  throughout  almost 
the  whole  of  Monday  night,  and  neither  Mr.  Bright, 
-  Mr.  Canning,  nor  MV.  Clifibrd  ever  quitted  the  ma- 
chines for  an  instant.    Toward  the  middle  of  the  night, 
whrle  the  rate  of  the  ship  continued  the  same,  the 
speed  at  which  the  cable  paid  out  slackened  nearly 
a  knot  ai  hour,  while  the  dynamometer  indicated  as 
low  aa  thirteen  hundred  pounds.    This  change  could 
only  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that  the  water 
had  shaUowed  to  a  <?onsiderable  extent,  and  that  the 
vessel  was,  in  fact,  passing  over  some  submarine  Ben 
Nevis  or  Skiddaw.    Ate  an  interval  of  about  an 
hour,  the  strain  and  rate  of  progress  of  the  cable  again 
mcreased,  while  the  increase  of  the  vertical  angle 
seemed  to  indicate  that  the  wife  wa|  sinking  down  the 
side  of  a  dechvity.    Beyond  this,  there  was  no  varia- 
tion throughout  Monday  night,  or,  indeeci  thraugh 
Tuesday."  ^ 

•^n  board  the  Niagara  was  the  same  scene  of  anx- 
ious  watching  every  hour  of  the  day  and  night.  En- 
gineets  and  electricians  were  constancy  on  duty.  "  The 
scene  at  night  was  beautiful.    Scarcely  a  word  was 


-f.iamiadmf- 


)\      f- 


t  t 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       186 

spoken ;  speoce  ^as  commanded,  and  no  conversation 
allowed.  Notliing  was  heard  but  the  strange  rattling 
0^  ,tjie  machine  as  the  cable  was  running  out  The 
lights  about  deck  and  in  the  quarter-deck  circle  added 
to  the  singularity  of  the  spectacle;  and  those  who 
were  on  board  the  ship  describe  the  state  of  anxious 
suspense  in  which  all  were  held  as  exceedingly  im- 
pressive." ;> 

warned  by  repeated  failures^  they  hardly  dared  to 
liG^e'fep.euccess  in  this  last  experiment.  And  yet  the 
spirits  of  all  rose,  as  the  distance  widened  between  the 
ships.  A  hundred  miles  were  laid  safely— a  hundred 
and  fifty— two  hundred.  Why  might  they  not  lay 
two  thousand  ?  So  reasoned  the  sanguine  and  hopeful 
when,  Tuesday  night,  came  the  fatal  announcement 
that  the  electric  current  had  ceased  to  flow.  It;  after- 
ward appeared  that  the  cable  had  broken  about  twenty 
feet  from  the  stern  of  the  Agamemnon. 

As  the  cable  was  now  useless,  it  only  remained  to 
cut  it  from  the  stem  of  the  Niagara.  Before  doing 
*^is,  Mr.  Field  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  test 
M  strength.  For  this  purpose  the  brakes  were  shut 
ddwn,  so  that  the  paying-out  machine  could  not  move. 
Bui  still  the  cable  did  not  break,  although  the  whole 
weight  of  tho  Ni^ara  hung  updn  that  slender  cord, 
and  though  several  men  got  upon  the  brakes.  Saya 
Captain  Hudson ;  ^'Although  the  win d  was  ijuit©  & 


« 


C  -, 


v-^f^' 


-'« 


y 


186      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATf^^NTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

.tr. 

(he  cahh  held  the  ship  '0one  hour  and  forty  minutes  le> 
fore  hreaking,  and  n^tUntJistandmg  a  strain  of  four  tons." 
Though  not  unexpected,  this  last  breaking  of  the 
cable  was  a  sad  bidw  to  all  on  board.    It  was  the  end 
of  their  hopes,  at  least  for  the  present  expedition 
Before  separating,  it  had  been  agreed,  that  if  the  cable 
should  part  again  before  either  ship  had  run  a  hun- 
dred miles,  thej  should  return  and  renew  the  attempt. 
If  thej  had  passed  that  limit,  they  were  all  to  sail  for 
.  Ireland.    But  the  Niagara  had  run  out  a  hundred  and 
eleven  miles,  and  knowing  that  the  Agamemnon  had 
done  about  the  game,  she  expected  the  latter  would 
keep  on  her  course  eastward,    not  stopping  till  she 
reached  Queenstown.     The  Niagara,  therefore,  reluct- 
antly bore  away  for  the  same  port. 

Of  course,  the  return  voyage  was  "any  thing  but 
gay."     When  soldiers  come  home  from  the  war,  they 
march  with  a  proud  step,  if  they  have  had  a  victorious 
campaign.    But  it  is  otherwise  when  they  come  with 
a  sad  tale  of  disaster  and  defeat.    Seldom  had  an  ex- 
pedition begun  with  higher  hopes,  or  ended  in  more 
complete  failure.    Who  could  help  feeling  keenly  this 
fresh   disappointment?    Even  with  all  the  courage 
"that  may  become  a  man,"  heightened  by  a  natural 
buoyancy  of  spirits,  how  was  it  possible  to  resist  the 
impression  of  the  facts  they  had  just  witnessed  ?    If— 
as  Lord  Carlisle  had  told  them  the  year  before—"  there 


'#   ..^    -v  -"l  is- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       187 


was  almost  enough  of  glory  in  the  very  design  of  an 
Atlantic  telegraph,"  that  glorj  might. still  be  theirs. 
But  apparently  they^ould  hope  for  nothing  more. 
They  had  done  all  that  men  could  do.  But  Fate  seem- 
ed aggiiijst  tlie^;  and  who  can  fight  against  destiny? 
No  one  can  blame  them  if  they  sometimes  had  sore 
misgivings,  and  loofed  out  sadly  upon  the  sea  that 
had  baffled  their  utmost  skill,  and  now  laughed  their 
efforts  to  scorn. 

In'  this  moo4  they  entered  once  more  the  harbor  of 
Queenstown.  The  Niagara  was  the  first  to  arrive  and 
to  bring  tidings  of  the  great  disaster.  The  Agamem-. 
non  came  in  a  few  days  after.  Knowing  the  fatal  im- 
pression their  report  w^s  likely  to  produce,  Mr.  Field 
hastened^  to  London  to  meet  the  Directors.  It  was 
high  time.  The  news  had  reached  there  before  hinij:  and 
had  already  produced  its  effect.  tJnder  its  impression 
the  Board  was  called  together.  It  met  in  the  same  room 
where,  six  weeks  before,  it  had  discussed  the  prospects 
of  the  expedition  with'fuU  confidence  of  success.  Now 
it  met,  as  a  council  of  war  is  summoned  after  a  terrible 
defeat,  to  decide  whether  to  surrender  or  to  try  once 
more  the  chances  of  battle.  When  the  Directors  came 
together,  the  feeling — to  call  it  by  the  mildest  name — 
was  one  of  extreme  discouragement.  They  looked 
blankly  in  each  other's  feces.  With  some,  the  feeling 
was  one  almoiSt  of  despair.    Sir  William  BrowPy  of 


r 


ttkV^iRi.r^ftte- 


Vlv 


188 


o 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 


-      Liverpool,  the  first  Chairman,  wrote,  advising  them  to 
sell  the  cable.    Mr.  Brooking,  the  Vice-Ohairman,  who 
had  given  more  time  to  it  than  any  other  Director, 
when  he  saw  that  his  colleagues  were  disposed  to  make 
Btill  another  trial,  left  the  room,  and  the  next  day  sent 
m  his  resignation,  determined  to  take  no  further  part 
m  an  undertaking  which  had  been  proved  hopeless, 
and  to  persist  in  which  seemed  mere  rashness  and  folly. 
But  others  thought  there  was  still  a  chance.    Like 
Robert  Bruce,  who,  after  twelve  battleg  and  twelve 
defea^  yet  believed  that  a  thirteenth  might  bnng  vie 
tory,  they  clung  to  this  bare  possibility.     Mr.  Field 
and  Professor  Thomson  gave  the  results  of  their  ex- 
penence,  from  which  it  appeared  that  there  was  no 
obstacle  in  the  nature  of  the  case  which  might  not  be 
overcome.    To  be  sure,  it  was  a  forlorn  hope.    But 
the  ships  were  there.     Though   they  had  lost  three 
hundred  miles  of  cable,  they  had  still  enough  on 
board  to  cross  the  sea.     These  arguments  prevailed, 
and  It  was  voted  to  make  one  more  trial  before  the 
project  waa  finalfy  abandoned.     Even  though  the 
chances  were  a  hundred  to  one  against  them,  that  one 
might  secure  them  final  sucoesp.    And  so  it  proved. 
But  .was  it  their  own  wisdom  or  Courage  that  got  them 
the  victory,  or  were  they  led  by  that  Being  whose 
way  IS  in  the  sea,  and  whose  path  is  in  the  great  watera  ? 


,  ,jgAfim 


/ 


/ 


»r 


CHAPTER    X.        /^ 

The  Ships  sail  on  a  Sbcond  Emkdition.    Thkt  Mkct  in  Mid.Oc«a» 

SOOOTSSFUL    VOTAQK    OF    THK    NiAOARA,    AND    OF    TM    AOAMKMKOII. 

Cable  Landed  in  Ireland  and  in  NewfoKindland. 

A  BOLD  decision  needs  to  be  followed  bj  prompt 
action,  lest  the  spirit  that  inspires  the-  daring  attempt 
be  weakened  bj  delay.    When  once  it  >had  been  fixed  ■ 
that  there  was  to  be  another  attempt  to  lay  the  Atlan- 
tic cable,  no  time  was  lost  in  carrying  the  resolve  into 
execution.    The  telegraphi^et  was  lying  at  Queens- 
town.     The  Niagara  had  a^fed.  on  the  fifth  of  July, 
but  the  Agamemnon,  which,  through  some  misunder- 
standing, had  returned  to  the  rendezvous  in  mid-ocean. 
'  thus  crosang  the  Niagara  on  her  track,  did  not  get  in 
till  a  week  later.    However,  all  were  now  there,  safe 
and  sound,  yrhen  the  order  came  down  from  London 
to  get  ready  immediately  to  go  to  gea.    Not  an  hour 
was  lost.    The  ships  ha(^  barely  time  to  tfsie  in  coal 
and  other  supplies  for  the  voyage.    Mr.  Fi^ld  hastened 
from  England,;and  Prof.  Thomson  from  La  home  in 
Jcogandj^^^d^m  five^4ays  the  squadrc^  was  uadet 


; 


\ 


"  "jJl^J^^iZ^^  ife. '»!  '  ^..^i  ->.Vl- 


^' 


'■■". 


.      wo      mSTORy  OP  TBEATLANTIcf  mc«BAPH.' 

■    taf  '""'^  ^"™ -"  <■- 'h"  -Idle  Of  tio  At..' 

tenth  of  June     TJ^hJ    T      ,      P'^n'O"*  on  the 
<M-spJ    tj,^/.  ""^f  r^  -•  »obod7  We  them 

fcjgea  in  a  hopeless  enterprise    an,!  ii,. 
squadron  stemed  rather  to  have  slnnV  »  . 

di^dlUble  mission,  than  ^Z^^.TLT'^'' 
^r^Pl-h-nt  of  a  grand  nation^  "w'     Ma" 
6ven  of  thos«  on  board  felt  th^;  ,t,  "^ 

fool's  erhmd  ■  that  Z^  r  '^  """'  «°'"8  ™  » 

kind  nf   f""'  *"«»  the  Compaoy  was  possessed  by  a 

Z     °Vr°^  ^'  °'"'^'°'''  'x"'^™'-.  aey  would  si 
be  our^d  by  another  bitter  experience.    ' 

"^P  ».a.e  i.,ay  to  theV^enZitrS  ^^^^ 
wh.ch  was  the  appointed  rendezvous  in  mid^^' 


.i^ 


/  'J 


•     i 


</ 


.  HMTOBr  OP  T^E  AT^TIO  TELEOSAPH.       191 

to  agJear^The  Tulkua^come  next,  and  then-  tl,; 
.      Worgon,  and,  ,^t  of  alL  the  Agamomnon.-wl.fch  had 
Wn  sawng  her  coal  for  the  «t«rn  voyage,  and  h,d 
beeD  delayed  for  wn„t  of  a  little  of  that  wind  whieh 
^     m  the, former  expedition,  she  had  in. too  great  abund- 
ance.  Says  the  English  correspondent  on  board- 
"  For  several  days  in  succession  there  was  an  unin- 
,      terrupted  calm.    The  moon  waj- just  at  the.  full,  and 
.        for  several  nights  it  "shone  with  a  brilliancy  which 
turned  the  sea  into  one  silvery  sh*,,  which  brought  " 
out  fte  dark  hull  and  white  saijs  of  the  ship  in  strong 
contrast  to  the  sea  and  sky,  as  the  "v^I.lay  *l|  bul 
,       mofoHiesa  on  the  s^ate,,  tbe  very  impersonation  of 
«J.tude  and  ;^p<«e.     Meed,  untU  the  rendezvous    . 
was  g«ned,  we  had  such  a  succession  of  beautiful  sun- 
r  ses,  gorgeous  sunsets;  and  tran,iuirmoonlight  nights, 
-  w<,„ld  have  excited  tbc  most  enthusiastic  admirLn 
ot  any  one  but  person*  situated  as  we  were.    But  bv    - 
"'  ™*  "''^"^  ^''■■^  'os^rA'A  only  as  the'annoVing  in- 
•      ^•^''7-°^  *^  <^°.  «%b  delayed  our  prog^/aud 

eCnir  "f.   .^'  ^k  K-ver.^f'afudicio -a 

expendituro  of  fuel,  and  a.Weral  use  of  the  cheaDer 
,  mohve  power  of  sail,  the  i^dezvous  was  rJ^T^l      ' 

Wednesday,  the  twcnty-dghth  of  July,l„st  dcve"  " 
/    days  after  our  departu«  from  .Queens  J;.'   n.Z 

of  fte  squadron  came  in  sight  It  night&ll,  b«  at  sZ        ■ 


w- 


r 


iftf^.      .>l*Xllfr>. 


.  sfc^tr 


.■S-V.'i, 


'T.^'ym 


•ii(i^' 


«^ 


m-     HISTOHT  OF  TM  ATLAOTIO  TULEOBiPtt 

./  Don  jomed  them."         "  -a^gamem- 

"  The  daj  was  beautifuUv  caim  q^  r.^  u •  ■     ^^ 

be  l03t  befoiB  making  the  Zil      i  "  ''"'  *^ 

Ar«^  ^        A J^         ^         P^'°^ '  ^^^^  were  soon  low'. 

e^^m  the  attendant  .hip,  the  two  ve.e.s  JI 

^     *^'''7»'""™er,  and  the  Niagara's  end  of  the  cable 
conveyed  on  board  the  Agan^emnon.    Abont  h^C 
twe  ve  o'eloct  the  spKoe  was  effectually  mad    Tn 
ho«mg  ,t  out  from  ihe  side  of  the  sh  ^.ri    / 

^^b..esho.offandfenovl5t:dt: 
bemg  no  more  convenient  weight  at  hand,  a  thirtv 

wo  pound  shot  was  astenod  tofthe  spIice'tLT^a 

«.z"rr:L'j"rshthn"'""'" 

.     .;«--P«i'iou.,thesignalt^;^:Ltif 
^/«  ^'>  ^  tune  for  their  opposite  destina 

^^^'^  ^"  ^°^  Mows,  and  how  many  fi^y    - 


/      / 


/       > 


ajfin^R.  •      .i.     J»..iJiSi  j»> '_ -i.>' 


.-l-;..*. 


^■*#  ''J* 


X.,..:jr..->  ■.,. 


if-. 


f  '- 


1        HIST^^  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGKAPH.   193 

,   /   oma  deep  the  ocean  ^is,  and  how  many  miles  of  cable 
are  on  board,  makes  the  following  ^entry  in  his  iour- 

.         "  Thursday,  July  twenty-nintVlatitude   fifty-two 
^   degrees  nine  minutes  north,  loh^e 'tlfirty-twcfde- 
-    grees  twenty-seven  minutes  west.    Telegraph  Fleet  all 
in  sight ;  sea  smooth  ;  light  wind  from  S.E.  to  S  S  E 
cloudy.    Splice  made  at  one  p.m.    Signals  ttrough 
the  whole  length  of  the  cable  oi^  board  both  ships  per-  -^ 
.      feet.    Depth  of  water  fifteen  hundred  fathoms ;  dis- 
tance-to  the  entrance  of  Valentia  harbor  eight  hun- 
dred  and  thirteen  nautical  miles,  and  from  there  to 
the  telegraph-house  the  shore  end  of  the  qable  is  laid 
Distance  to  the  entrance  of  Trinity  Bay,  Newfound- 
-  land,  eight  hundred  and  twenty-two  nautical  miles'!  ' 
and  from  there  to  the  telegrapH-house  at  the  head  of 
the  bay  of  Bull's  Arm,  sixty  miles,  making  in  all    "    " 
eight  hundred  and  eighty-two  nautical  miles.    The 
Niagara  has  sixty-nine  miles^further  to  run  than  the  " 
Agamemnon.     The  Niagara  and  Agamempon  have 
each  eleven  hundred  nautical  miles  of  cable  on  board 
•  ^ut  the  same  quantity  as  last  year."  ■      ' 

-And  now   as  the  ships  ar^  fairly  apart,  and  will 
soon  lose  sight  of  each  other,  we  will  leave  the  Aga- 
memnou  for  the  present  to  puraue  her  course  toward 
Ireland,  while  we  follow  our  own  Niagara  to  the         ' 
-Aoi^s  of  the  Nw^rid.    At  Itm  of  cour^^TO  ^ 


■-m 


>4. 


'      ^^      1.  I  t  'i\     4tM|b     Xj^t^      -I      V^Xx 


-  -.'4"  *^r  fi^^Pf^'^Hi^ 


194      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  -TELEaRAPfl. 

.     all  hoped  for  success,  no'one  dared.to  expect  i 
least  they  said  afterwards  that  "Mr.  Field  wi 
only  man  on  board  who  kept  up  his  courage  th'rc 
It  aU."    But  th«^  chances  seemed  many  to  one  agai, 
them ;  and  the  warnings  were  frequent  to  excite  thi 
fears.   That  very  evening,  about  sunset,  all  again  see 
ed  lost.    We  quote  from  Mr.  Field's  journal :  " 
forty-five  minutes  past  seven  p.m.,  ship's  time,  sign 
from  the  Agamemnon  leased,  and  the  tests  applied 
the  electricians  showed  that  there  was  a  want  of  co 
tinuity  in  the  cable,  but  the  insulation  waa  perfe 
Kept  on  paying  out  from  the  Niagara  very  slow', 
and  constantly  applying  aU  kinds  of  electrical  t<  \ 
until  ten  minutes  past  nine,  ship's  time,  when  a^  | 
commenced  receiving  perfect  signals  from  the  A  j 
memnon."   At  the  same  moment  tha  same  experiem 
was  going  on  on  the  English  ship. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  fresh  cause  of  alarm, 
was  found  that  the  Niagara  had  run  some  mUes  out| 
her  course.    Comparing  the  distance  run  by  obser 
tion  and  by  patent  log,  there  was  a  difference  of  six 
miles  and  a  third.    With  such  a  percentage  of  1, 
the  cable  would  not  hold  out  to  reach  Newfoundl 
This  was  alarming,  but  the  explanation  was  obvi 
The  mass  of  iron  in  the  ship  had  affected  the  comt 
so  that  it  no  longer  pointed  to  the  right  quarter  of 
heavens.    Had  tlio  Niagara  heenntlono  on  tho 


,^  ""-J^W^k^w.  .i,-^i 


>*^   its,    (S^^kitf^-d 


..w^p^ 


-HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       195 

i  might  have  caused  serioua  trouble.     But  now  ap. 
^ed  the  great  adyantage  of  an  attendant  ship.     It 
-^as  at  once  arranged  that  the  Gorgon  should  go  ahead 
and  lead  the  \vaj.    As  she  had  no  cable  on  board,  her 
compasses  were  subject  to  no  deviation.     Accordingly 
I  she  took  her  position  in  the  advance,  keeping  the  line 
along  the  great  circle  arc,  which  was  the  prescribed 
route.    From  that  moment  there  was  np  variation,  or 
but  a  verjr  slight  one.    The  two  methods  of  comput- 
mg  the  distance-by  log.  and  by  observation-nearly 
coincided,  and  the  ship  varied^  s^rcely  a  mile  from 
^  her  course  till  she  entered  Trinity  Bay. 
^     It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  whole  voyage,  for 
^the  record  is  the  same  from  day  to  day.    It  is  the 
same  sleepless  watching  of  the  cable  as  it  runs  out  day  - 
and  night,  and  the  same  anxious  estimate  of  the  dis- 
tance that  stiU  separates  them  from  land.    Communi- 
cation is  kept  up  constantly  between  the  ships.    Mr. 
Field's  journal  contains  entries  like  these  : 

"  Saturday,  July  thirty-first.  By  eleven  o'clock  had 
I  paid  out  from  the  Niagara  three  hundred  miles  of  ca- 
ble;  at  forty-five  minutes  past  two  received,  signals 
from  the  Agamemnon  that  they  had  paid  out  from' 
her  three  hundred  mUes  of  cable ;  at  thirty-seven  min: 
utes  past  five  finished  coil  on  the  berth-deck,*nd  com- 
1°^^°°^^  P^7^°g,ffl^  ^'•Q°^  tMl^wer  deck, ",  -I 


14 


August  secS.  The  Ni^ara  getting 


mMAniiii'i- 


^y^. 


196 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEaRAPfl. 


ligbt   and  rolling  verjr  muct ;   it  was  not  consider 
ed  safe  to  carry  sail  to  steady  ship,  for  in  case  of 
accident  it  might  be  necessary  to  stop  the  vessel  as 
soon  as  possible.    Passed  and  signalled  the  Cunard 
Steamer  from  Boston  to  Liverpool."    Same  day  about 
noon,  "imperfect  insulation  of  cable  detected  in  send- 
ing and  receiving  signals  from  the  Agamemnon,  which 
contmued  until  forty  minutes  past  five,  when  all  was 
right  again.     The  fault  was  found  to  be  in  the  ward- 
room, about  sixty  miles  from  the  lower  end,  which 
was  immediately  cut  out,  and  taken  out  of  the  circuit » 
"Tuesday,  August  third.  At  a  quarter-past  eleven, 
ships  time,  received  signals  from  on  board  the  Aga- 
memnon, that  they  had  paid  out  from  her  seven  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles  of  cable.    In  the  afternoon  and 
evemng  pa^ed  several  icebergs.    At  ten  minutes  past 
nine  P.M<ship's  time,  received  signal  from  the  Aga- 
memnon that  she  was  in  water  of  two  hundred  fath- 
oras.    At  twenty  minutes  past  ten  p.m.,  ship's  time 
Niagara  m  water  of  two  hundred  fathoms,  and  inform- 
ed the  Agamemnon  of  the  same. 

"  Wednesday^  August  fourth.  Depth  of  water  less 
thto  two  hundred  fiithoms.  Weather  beautiful  per- 
fectly calm.  Gorgon  in  sight  fiixty-four  miles 'from 
the  telegraph-house.  Received  signal  from  Agamem- 
non  at  noon  that  they  had  paid  out  fi^m  her  nino 
hundred  and  forty  mUes  of  cable.    Pasaed  this  mora. 


'V-''  y- 


^m . 


«   ,'• 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEaRAI»H.       197 

-    /, 

ing  several  iceberg  Made  tte  land  otf  enlrance  to 
Trinity  Bay.  at  eight  A.M.  Entered  Trinity  Bay  at. 
half-past  twelve.  At  half-past  two,  we  stopped  send- 
ing signals  to  Agamemnon  for  fourteen  ininates, , 
for  the  purpose  of  making  splice.  At  five  p.m.  saw 
Her  Majesty's  steamer  Porcupine  [which  had  been 
sent  by  the. British  Government  to  Newfoundland, 
to  Watch  for  the  telegraph  ships] ,  coming  to  us.  At 
half-past  seven,  Captain  Otter,  of  the  Porcupine,  came 
on  board  of  the  Niagara  to  pilot  us  to  the  anchorage, 
near  the  telegraph-house.* 

*  The  spot  chosen  as  the  terminus  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  with  the  ' 
views  around  it— both  on  the  water  and  on  land— is  thus  described  by  a  i 
correspondent :  *■ 

"  All  who  have  visited  Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,  with  one  consent 
allow  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sheets  of  water  they  ever  set 
eyes  upon.  Its  color  is  very  peculiar— an  inexpressible  mmgling  of 
the  pure  blue  ocean  with  the  deep  evergreen  woodlands  and  the  serene 
blue  sky.  Its  extreme  length  is  about  eighty  miles,  its  breadth  about 
thirty  miles,  opening  boldly  into  the  Atlantic  on  the  northern  side  of' 
^  the  island.  At  its  south-western  shore  it  branches  into  the  Bay  of 
Bull's  Arm,  which  is  a  quiet,  safe,  and  beautiful  harbor,  about  two 
miles  in  breadth,  and  nine  or  ten  in  length,  running  in  a  direction 
north-west 

"The  depth  of  water  is  sufficient  for  the  largest  vessels.  The  tide 
rises  seven  or  eight  feet,  and  the  bay  terminates  in  a  beautiful  sand- 
beach.  The  shore  is  clotiied  with  dark  green  fli^trees,  Vhich,  mixed 
with  birch  and  mountain-ash,  present  a  pleasing  contrast.  The  land 
rises  gradually  from  Uie  water  all  around,  so  aa  to  aflford  one  of  tha  __ 
mart  agreeabfe  town  Stoila  tte  i^^    Ton  aMend  only  about  • 


\:^ 


.^Vi 


-r^. 


'^i.,< 


198 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


:1^ 


*.*.. 


Thursday,  August  M^.  At  fortj-five  minutes  past 
one  A.M,  Niagara  anoyred.  Total  amount  of  cable 
paid  out  smce  splice  ;^as  made,  ten  hundred  and  six- 
teen  miles,  six  hii^red  fathoms.    Total  amount  of 

ZTll^''  '™A  "'*"■  "^^  *'^^^  "''  "°  '-=-  *--.  b"» 

w  1  gr^  hke  an  ope/  prairio.  Here  are  found  at  thia  season  myriads 
o  e  upland  on.bWs,  upon  which  unnumbered  p.t.,«Ugan.i^e 
worthem  partridge,  f^ed.  ^«^    r     *uo 

"The  raspberry,  Uke-apple  berry,  and  the  whorUober^y  are laW 
common      ^„„e,,„,  ,,,^  ,^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^  ^^  open!  eTeX" 
ground,  from  which  jflow  rivulets,  affording  abundance  of  fine 
After  ascendmg  for    bout  a  mUe  and  a  half,  you  are  then  proi 
three  hundred  or  fou    hundred  feet  above  the  tide,  and 'nothin*  can 
exceed  the  beauty  of^he  scene  when,  at  one  view,  you  beh   1  Z 
pUc.d  waters  of  both  Trinity  and  Placentia  Bays-the  latter  s^L^ 
with  clusters  of  Terdant\  islands.  •        pnmuea 

t^!lll  ""Vr  ^"^"^  ""''""^  '^  ^^"^'^  ^  you  came  up  from 
excellent  harbor  and  adm^ble  fisheries,  skirting  the  shore  and  the 

^tward  through  the  .sUnd,  to  Cape  Ray.    At  this  season  of  the  year 
game  «  very  abundant.    Reindeer  in  great  number,  bears,  wolvr. 

Tz  r  """^-"^  "^  "^^  -'-™  ^-  ^-.  -^X. 

"About  four  mUes  southward  of  the  entrance  of  the  bay  of  Bull's 

^ch?,!:  "  \'  ""'"""•  ^^^'  ^  ^'^"^  *^«  extraordinary  La 
MaBche  lead  mme,  the  property  of  the  Telegraph  Company.  alLy 
^eld^ng  a  rich  supply  of  remarkably  pure  galena.  The  pla  e  wb^ 
^e  caWe  .  landed  is  memon^ble  in  the  history  of  the  island  as  Z 
^  b. ttle^und  between  the  French  and  English  in  their  ea^; 


,  Mh>^^^:r: 


'  "^.-x- 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGR^PU.       199* 

distance,  eight  liundrdd  and  eighty-two  miles.  Amount 
of  cable  paid  out  over  distance  run,  one  hundred  and 
thirtj-four  miles,  six  hiXndred  fathoms,  being  a  sur- 
pltlB  of  about  fifteen  per  "^ent.  At-  two  a.m.,  I  went 
ashore  in  a  small  boat,  and  awoke  persons  in  charge 
of  the  telegraph-house,  half  ^mile  from  landing,  an(f 
informed  them  that  the  Telegraph  Fleet  had  arrived, 
and  were  ready  to  land  the  end  of  llihe  cable.  At  for- 
ty-five minutes  past  two,  received  signal  from  the  Aga- 
meninon  that  she  had  paid- out  ten  hundred  and  ten 
miles  of  cable.  At  four  A.M.,  delivered  telegraphic 
dispatch  for  the  Associated  Press,  to  be  forwarded 
to  New- York  as  early  in  the  morning  as  the  ofices  of 
the  line  were  open. 

"  At  a  quarter-past  five  a.m.,  telegraph  cable  land- 
ed. At  six,  end  of  cable  carried  into  telegraph- 
house,  and  received  very  strong  currents  of  electri- 
city through  the  whole  cable  frpm  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  Captaii^  Hudson,  of  the  Niagara,  tl\en 
read  prayers,  and  made  some  remarks. 

"  At  one  P.M.,  Her  Majesty's  steamer  Gorgon  fired 
a  royal  salute  of  twenty-one  guns." 

Thus  simply  was  the  story  told,  that  in  a  few  hours 
was  to  sehd  a  thrill  throughout  the  continent. 

To  complete  the  narrative  of  the  expedition,  it  is 
necess^  to  include  an  account  of  the  voyage  of  the 
MojoaakQ  some  extracts  &Qm  4^&48tt^ 


a^i  4    ii^ 


.t-.i<* 


V"' 


200 


HISTOEY  OF  TBE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPh! 


ter  to  tho  London  Times,  furnished  bj  its  special 
correspondent.  We  begin  M  the  time  of  junction  in 
mid-oeean,  just  as  the  ships  went  sailing  eastward  and 
westward: 

"  For  the  first  three  hours  the  ships  proceeded  very 
-  slowlj,  pajfeg  out  a  great  quantity  of  slack,  but  after 
the  expiration  of  t(iis  time,  the  speed  of  the  Agamem- 
non  was  increased  to  about  five  knots  per  hour,  the 
cable  going  at  about  six,  without  indicating  more 
than  a  few  hundred  pounds  of  strain  upon  the  dynam- 
ometer.     Shortly  after  six  o'clock  a  very  We  whale 
was  seen  approaching,  the  starboard  bow  at  a  great 
speed,  rolling  and  tossing  the  sea  into  foam  all  around 
and  for  the  first  time  we  felt  the  possibility  of  the  sup- 
position  that  our  second  mysterious  breakage  of  the     ' 
cable  might  have  been  caused  after  all  by  one  of  these 
animals  getting  foul  of  it  under  water.     It  appeared 
as  If  It  were  making  direct  for  the  cable,  and  great 
was  the  relief  of  all  when  the  ponderous  living  mass 
was  seen  slowly  to  pass  astern,  just  grazingthe  cable 
where  it  entered  the  water,  but  fortunately  without 
doing  any  mischief 

"All  seemed  to  go  well  up  to  about  eight  o'clock  • 

the  cable  paid  out  from  the  hold  with  an  evenness  and 

regularity  which  showed  how  carefully  and  perfectly 

It  had  been  coiled  away;  a\d  to  guard  agamst  acci, 

dents  which  might  arise  in  consequence  of  the  ^abk 


K 


i^&Sxi-Ji  ~^J,^^%.    -  ^ 


X.  fau^^Ji   isd 


..f(» 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAlfTIO  TELEGRAPH.       201 

having  suffered  injury  during  the  storm,  the  indicated 
strain  upon  the  dynamometer  was  never  allowed  to  go 
beyond  seventeen  hundred  pounds,  or  less  than  one 
quarter. what  the  cable  is  estimated  to  bear,  and'thua 
far  every  thing  looked  promisipg  of  success.     But,  in 
such  a  hazardous  work,  no  one  knows  what  a  few 
minutes  may  bring  forth,  for  soon  after  eight,  an  in- 
jured portion  of  the  cable  was  discovered  about  a 
mile  or  two  from  the  portion  paying  out.     Not  a  mo- 
ment was  lost  by  Mr.  Canning,  the  engineer  on  duty, 
in  petting  men  to  work  to  cobble  up  the  injury  as  well 
as  time  would  permit,  for  the  cable  was  going  out  at 
such  a  rate  that  the  damaged  portion  would  be  paid 
overboard  in  less  than  twenty  minutes,  and  former  ex- 
perience had  shown  us  that  to  check  either  the  speed 
of  the  ship,  or  the  cable,  would,  in  all  probability,  be 
attended  by  the  most  fatal  results. 

"Just  before  the  lapping  was  finished.  Professor 
Thomson  reported  that  the  electrical  continuity  of  the 
wire  had  ceased,  but  that  the  insulation  was  still  per- 
fect; attention  was  naturally  dnrected  to  the  injured 
piece  as  the  probable  source  of  the  stoppage,  and  not 
a  moment  was  lost  in  cutting  the  cable  at  that  point, 
with  the  intention  of  making  a  perfect  splice.  To  the 
consternation  of  all,  the  electrical  tests  applied  showed 
the  fault  to  be  overboard,  and  ii^ffc  iii   I  iiliility  fla»e 


-  '1 


"fifty  miles  fixim  theship.    Not  a  second  was  to  bo 
9* 


■iifOrAi  ■*»».   « 


tm 


V*^ 


'S, 


202      HISTOBy  qF  THE  ATLAmro  TELEGBAPH.  " 

so  uteiy  necessary  to  prevent  it' breaking 

As  tlio  stem  of  the  ship  was  Kited  W  .1 
»  -„e  0,  ,,«,  „„3,  ,„,  J  ^^^^^'^«^^  by  ^  wave. 

brlt  «  "^  '"°°.°"'  *'  ■''"'  P°=^»>le  amount  of  ca- 
ble, that  the  junction  could  be  finished  before  the  p^t 
was  taken  eul  of  the  hands'  „f  ti,.        ■  ■ 

mnin  i.„i  7  *  ""^  workmen.    The 

-e.^d.io„...edi!rp:LrthT:r:a:;^ 

wound  „aelf  nearer  and  nearer -the  joint,  while  the 
workmen  d,rected  by  Mn  O^ing,  ut,der  Jh^;   ' 

tZ    he    Y      ''i'°!  "^  ""'^  "■'"  '=<"'''»  ™*  Who  fel: 
that  the  hfe  and  death  of  the  expedition  depended  ' 
upon  the.  rapidity.    But  ^,  their  speed  was  tot 
P»n.ose,  as  the  eab.e  was  unwinding  wfthiu  a  hundr:i 
feftoms,  and.  ^  a  last  and  desp»ate  resou:™,  the  <^   ■• 
W  jpa  stopped  altogether,  and,  for  a  few  min  te^  Z 
«h>E  hung  on  by  the  end.    Fortunately,  hoWev  r  il 
w»  only  for  a  few  lainut^.  aa  the  stJ^T      ' 


i  ^  ,-  »* 


)  o  •..  ,^1,  <  >    ■»™i'_*f!=A  j«M-»i         Li, 


*'!! 


\'*. 


mSTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.   203 

ually  rising  above  two  tons,  and  it  would  not  hold  on 
much  longQr ;  when  the  splice  was  finished,  the  sig 


nal  was  made  to  loose  the  stopper,  and  it  p^sedjjver 
board  safely  enough. 

"  When  the  excitement  consequent  upon  having  so 
narrowly  saved  the  cable  had  passed  away,  we  awoke 
to  the  consciousness  that  the  case  was  stiil  as  hopeless 
as  ever,  for  the  electrical  continuity  was  still  entirely 
wanting.     Preparations  were  consequently  made  to 
pay  out  as  little  rope  as  possible,  and  J;d  hold  on  for 
fei?:  hours,  in  the  hopes  that  the  fault,  whatever  it 
might  be,  migl^t  mend  itself  before  cutting  the  cable 
and  returning  to  the  rendezvous  to  make  another 
splice.  \  The  magnetic  fieedles  on  the  receiving  ins,teu- 
menta  w«re  watched  closely  for  the  returning  signals ; 
when,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  last  hope  waa  extinguish- 
ed by  their  suddenly  indicating  dedd  earth,  which 
tended  to  show  that  the  cable  had  brojcen  from  the 
Niagara,  or  that  the  insulation  had  been  completely 
destroyed. 

"  In  three  minutes,  however,  every  one  was  agree- 
ably surprised  by  the  intelligence  that  the  stoppage 
had  disappeared,  and  that  the  signals  had  again  ap- 
peared  at  their  regular  intervals  from  the  Niagara. 
It  is  needless  to  say  wha|  a  load  of  anxie'ty  this  news 
removed  from  the  mindg  of  every  one ;  but  the  gen- 


'W 


=«i^^Bfidenc6  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  opera-" 


*Vc!S.i^ 


.1  ".•)-„'«  fl 


'• 


A 


^ 


j     K 


.     covered  in  tuZZ  Z         '  T°"*  ^'"^  ""^  <■- 
fei^with  t),,^  ^.^    .■        ,  '^  ^"-J"  ^»J  inter- 

.     of  about  five  knoL   ,^    '^u,         '"  ^'P*  "'  ""^  ^P^-'d 

«.k.p  beiof  abou:  fii^n     ei~  r'f  '^  '^"^  '^«    " 
.    strain  npon  the  A,..         f     '        "  ""^  '^'^'•''^M 

-     ':^''»:^^Soodni;,ety„,ilesfh,mthesto 

■ooe  tbo  p.,io„,  ^^_  ^,  ^  ^^^J^i^ 

■•iSC  the  oab^'^Snlr.^'^f  ""^  »<>  ""''Hve  nnles 
-ik  V*  ■L'unng  the  latter  portion  of  the  r?«.^ 

■ '^tel'''"  ""■■'^"'"^'  -*  toward  thtvtn^ 
8*..|^o.t^eofwindf.n.theea..w^ 
of  the"^'    ^"--breeze  f,«hened 

'•"^..^awindiTbrilLT/r'''"-^''' 
-  -K  be..  ,e  .n  ..JZ^  I^^^L 


^aLwe 


^L^^«fi?* 


V 


v«  *.    ?^'  -  %»-  e  ^t  U  ^i.t«^  "yJ^jA  S^'w 


"w; 


3T0RY  OP  THE  ATLiLNTiO  TELEGRAPH.       206 

.       .     ■•'5-,'         ! 

pon  \^^s  gQing  full  steam  against  the  wind,  only  mak- 

••  nng  a  speed  of  about  four  knots  an  hour.    During  the 

evening  topmasts  were  lowered,  and  spare,  yards,- sails, 

and  indeed  every  thing^aloft  that  eould  oflfer  resistance 

to  the  wind,  was  sent  §own  on  deck;  but  still  the  ship 

m^e  but  little  way,'  chiefly  in  consequence  of  the 

heavy  sea,  though  the  enormous  quantity  of  fuel  con- 

.  siiined  showed  us  that,  if  the  wind  lasted,  we  should. 

be  reduced  to  burning  the  masts,  spars,  and  even  the 

'  decks,  to  bring  the  ship  into  Yalentia. 

"It  seemed  to  be  our  particular  ill.fortune  to  meet 
with  head-winds  whicTVer  way  the  ship's  head  was 
turned.  On  our  journey  out  we  had  been  delayed,, 
and  obliged  to  consume  an  undue  proportion  of  coal, 
for  want  of  an  easterly  wind,  and  now  all  our  fuel  was 
wanted  because  of  one.  However,  during  the  next 
^>  '^ay  the  wind  gradually  went  around  to  the  south-west, 
which,  thbugfi  it  raised  a  veryjieavy  sea,  allowed  us 
tP  husband  our  small  remaining  store  of  fuel. 

"At  noon  on  Saturday,  the  thirty-first  of  July,  ob- 
servations  showed  us  to  have  made  good  one  hundred 
apd  twenty  miles  of  distance  since  noon  of  the  pre- 
vious day,  with  a  loss  of  about  twenty-seven  per  cent 
of  cable.  The  Kiagara,  as  fer  as  could  be  judged  ^m 
the  amount  of  cable  she  paid  oijt,  which,  by  a  previ- 
ous arrangement^  was  signalled  at  etery  ten  miles,  kept  ' 

nana  -..ri*.!,    ««     ^.'i.!:.' .-  .,■         -^-^  .      _  X 


<■#'■ 


-paoe.witLtt8pWiihii^^Mieortwoiaile^il&b  Wh^Ie 


■^^'  '*'*'^     '  "'rjCp'T/ 


t 


206      HISTOHY  OF  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

tanceacjos^    During  the  afternoon  of  Saturday  tU 
wmd  again  freshened  up,  and  before  nighS;  1 

before  >t  from  the  south-west,  which  made  the  A™ 
".emnon  pitch  to  such  an  extent  that  it  wL  tott 

iX: tdt  t'°  ™"''  ''""^  ""  th^ugUhe  J  f 

-  ir  *  '''""''  °^  *'"'  "^"'W-o  to  prevent 

ih  .r  stoppmg  as  the  stem  of  the  ship  ^e  and  M 

were  the  energy  and  activity  of  all  enmiBed  ;„  ,1, 

Cirr '°  '^^  ~  MrX"!:;; 

Moore,  the  two  engineers  who  had  the  charge  of  th. 

«l.evmg.wheels  of  the  dynamometer,  ZV^^l 

wateh  and  watch  alternately  every  four  bZ   and 

,  w^^ne  on  duty  du.t  not  let  their  atLion  Wmo    d 

losing  the  brakes  every  time'the  stem  of  the  ship  fell 
mto  the  trough  of  the  s.a  entirely  depended  thl^ 
of  *e  cable,  and  the  result  shows  how  ably  they  di^^ 
cta^  their  duty.    Throughout  tl>e  nigh  Jherawl 


/ 


1    ^    •      „^**4t\'V,rf;.     im. 


Pm%^''A 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKGBAPH.       207 

few  wio  had  the  least  expectation  of  the  cable  holding 
on  till  morning,  and  many  remained  aWake  listening  for 
the  sound  that  all  most  dreaded  to  hear— namely,  the 
gun  which  should  announce  the  fiulure  of  all  our  hopes. 
But  still  the  cable,  which,  in  comparison  with  the  ship 
from  which  it  was  paid  out,  and  the  gigantic  waves 
among  which  it  was  delivered,  was  but  a  mere  thread, 
continued  to  hold  on,  only  leaving  a  silvery  phospho- 
rous line  upon  the  stupendous  seas  as  they  rolled  on 
"toward  the  ship. 

"  With  Sunday  morning  came  n(yimprovement  in  the 
weather ;  still  the  sky  remained  black  and  stormy  to 
windward,  and  the  constant  violent  squalls  of  wind  / 
and  rain  which  prevailed  during  the  whole  day,  served 
to  keep  up,  if  not  to  augment  the  height  of  the  waves. 
But  the  cable  had  gone  through  so  much  during  the 
night,  that  our  confidence  in  its  continuing  to  hold  was 
much  restored. 

"At  noon,  observations  showed  us  tQ^  have  made  - 
good  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  noon  of 
the  previous  day,  and  about  three  hundred  and  six- 
ty from  our  starting-point-  in  mid-ocean.  We  had 
passed  by  the  deepest  sounding  of.  twenty-four  hun- 
dred fathoms,  and  over  more  than  half  of  the  deep 
water  generally,  while  the  amount  of  cable  still  re- 
maining in  the  ship  was  more  than  sufficient  to  car^ 
ns-tathe  Insh  coasi;"even  supposing  the  contmuan5Q~~ 


t'1 


^'-H^i 


'-^i^^'W*^'^4^ 


""^s  I  '^.■^ J  '^"^^  J' 


208 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQEAPH. 


Of  the  bad  weather  should  oblige  us  to  pay  out  the 
«ame  amount  of  slack  cable  we  had  been  hitherto 
wasting.    Thus  far  things  looked  verj  promising  for 
our  ultimate  success.    But  former  experience  showed 
us  only  too  plainly  that  we  could  never  suppose  that 
some  accident  might  not  arise  t/ntil  the  ends  had  been 
fairly  landed  on  the  opposite  shores. 
^      "Boring  Sunday  night  and  Monday  morning  the 
weather  continued  as  boisterous  as  ever,  and  it  was 
only  by  the  most  indefatigable  exertions  of  the  engi-- 
neer  upon  duty  that  the  wheel*  could  be  prevented 
from  stopping  altogether,  as  the  vessel  rose  and  fell 
with  the  sea,  and  once  (^  twice  they  did  come  com- 
pletely  to  a  stand-still,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be 
done  to  keep  them  moving;  but  fortunately  they  were 
^am  set  in  motion  before  the  stern  of  the  ship  was 
thrown  up  by  the  succeeding  wave.    No  strain  could 
be  placed  upon  the  cable,  of  course;  and  though  the 
dynamometer  occasionally  registered  seventeen  hun- 
dred pounds  as  the  sW#  lifted,  it  was  oftener  below  one 
thousand,  and  was  frequently  nothing,  the  cable  run- 
ning out  as  fast  as  ite  own  weight  and  the  speed  of  the 
ship  could  draw  it.    But  even  with  aU  these  forces 
actmg  unresistedly  upon  it,  the  cable  never  paid  itself 
out  at  a  greater  speed  than  eight  knote  an  hour  at  the 
time  the  ship  was  going  at  the  rate  of  six  knote  and  a 
j^  Subsequently,  however,  when  the  HpeeJ  of  the 


-  V^   i  A^i^N  1 


•  I 


.    u.    -Ji  -a.,.  ^JhJ^ 


'    ;  'i?>4 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       209 


Bbip  even  exceeded  six  knots  and  a  half,  the  cable 
never  ran  out  so  quick.  The  average  speed  maintained 
bj  the  ship  up  to  this  time,  and,  indeed,  for  the  whole 
voyage,  was  about  five  knots  and  a  half,  the  cable, 
with  occasional  exceptions,  running  about  thii-tj  per 
cent  faster.  ^ 

"  At  noon  on  Monday,  August  second,  had  made 
good  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  and  a  half  miles 
since  noon  of  the  previous  day,  and  completed  more 
than  the  half  way  to  our  ultimate  destination. 

"During  the  afternoon  an  American  three-masted 
schooner,  which  afterward  proved  to  be  the  Chieftain, 
was  seen  standing  from  the  eastward  toward  us.  No 
notice  was  taken  of  her  at  first,  but  when  she  was 
within  about  half  a  mile  of  the  Agamemnon  she  altered 
her  course,  and  bore  right  down  across  our  bows.  A 
collision,  which  might  prove  fatal  to  the  cable,  now- 
seemed  inevitable,  or  could  only  be  avoided  by  the 
equally  hazardous  expedient  of  altering  the  Agamem- 
non's course.  The  Valorous  steamed  ahead,  and  fired 
a  gun  for  her  to  heave  to,  which,  as  she  did  not  ap- 
pear to  take  much  notice  of,  was  quickly  followed  by 
another  from  the  bows  of  the  Agamemnon,  and  a  se 
cond  and  third  from  the  Valorous,  but  still  the  vessel 
held  on  her  course ;  and  as  the  only  resource  left  to 
avoid  a  collision,  the  course  of  the  Agamemnon  waa 
altefedTUBt  in  time  tcr  pass  wtttin  a  few^psds  oTBeiT' 


i ... 


(  "' 


r-a/^i  n    '.f^Tar^W-)^ 


210      HI8TOKT  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

It  was  evident  that  our  proceedings  were  a  sou,«  of 
the  greatest  possible  astonishment  to  them,  for  all  her 
crew  crowded  upon  her  deck  and  rigging.  At  len^ 
they  ev,dent^  discovered  who  we  weze,  and  what  we 
w  re  do.ng,  for  the  erew  banned  the  rigging,  and  d-p 

cheery  Though  the  Agamemnon  was  obliged  to  a,> 
knowledge  these  congratulations  in  due  form,  tie  6^ 
.0^  of  annoyance  with  which  we  regarded    he  v^I 

m  shap  to  the  long  chapter  of  accident  which  had  al- 
^y  been  encountered,  may  easily  be  imagined.  To 
those  below,  who  of  course  did  not  see  the  ship  ap! 
proacbng,  the  sound  of  the  fi.t  g„„  «.me  Mte  a  thut 
tt     M      T^""  "  '^  '^'  ^'Snal  of  the  b^akipg  of 

drTuttr"^?'  ""^^  '^P  the  hatches  toThe 

deck    but  before  reaching  it,  their  feara  were  quicklv 

^  mshed  by  the  report  of  the  succeeding  gun  which 

all  knew  well  couH  only  be  caused  byLhip  il  „  ' 

way  or  a  man  overboard.  J' "  ™p  m  our 

"Throughout  the  greater  portion  of  Monday  mom- 

■ng  the  electncal  signals  from  the  Niagan.  had  Cn 

^ttmg  gradually  weaker,  until  they  celd  aCgeS 

for  nearly  three  quarter  of  an  hour.    Our  unea^nl 

however,  was  in  ^e  degree  Wed  hv  t.„  ^tC 


■  *atu^       >>  t 


I      A 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH,       211 

the  stoppage  appeared  to  be  a  want  of  continuity,  and 
not  any  defect  in  insulation,  and  there  was  consequent- 
ly every  reason  to  suppose  that  it  might  arise  from 
faulty  connection  on  board  the  Niagara.    Accordingly 
Professor  Thomson  sent  a  message  to  the  effect  that 
the  signals  were  too  weak  to  be  read,  and,  as  if  they 
•  had  been  awaiting  sucb  a  signal  to  increase  their  bat- 
tery power,  the  deflections  immediately  returned  even 
stronger  than  they  had  ever  been  before.     ^Toward 
•the  evening,  however,  they  again  declined  in  force  for 
a  short  time.     "With  the  exception  of  these  little  stop- 
pages, tbe  electrical  condition  of  the  submerged  wire 
seemed  to  be  much  improved.   It  was  evident  that  the 
low  temperature  of  the  water  at  the  immense  depth 
improved  considerably  the  itjsulating  properties  of  the  ' 
gutta-percha,  while  the  enormous  pressure  to  which  it 
must  have  been  subjected  probably  tended  to  consoli- 
date its  texture,  and  to  fill  up  any  air-bubbles  or  slight 
faults  in  manufacture  which  may  have  existed. 

"The  weather  during  Monday  night^^oderated  a 
little,  but  still  there  was  a  very  heavy  sea  on,  which  ' 
endangered  the  wire  every  second  minute. 

"  About  three  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning,  all  on 
board  were  startled  from  their  beds  by  the  loud  boom- 
ing of  a  gun.  Every  one,  without  waiting  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  most  particular  toilet,  rushed  on  deck 
the  «raseic#^the  disturbance,    ikmtmry  to — 


ti-fM 


'    V)'| 


212       HISTORY. 'of  the  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

all  expectation,  the  cable  was  safe,  biit  just  in  the  gray 
Jjght  could  .be  seen  the  Valorous  rounded  to  in  the 
niost  warlike  attiti^de,  firing  .gun  after  gun,  in  quick 
succes^on    toward  a  large  American   bark,   which, 
quite'  unconscious  <^f  our  proceeding,  was  standing 
Tight  across^  our  steW.     Such  loud  and  repeated  re- 
monstrances from  a  large  steam  frigate  were  not  to  be 
despised,  and,  evidently  without  knowing  "the  why  or 
the  wherefore,  She  quickly  threw  her  sails  aback  and    - 
remained  hove  to.     Whether  tho^e  on  board  her  con-   " 
sidered  that  we  were 'engaged  in  some  fillibustering 
expedition,  or  yegarded  our  proceedings  as  another 
British'  outrage  upon  the  American  flag,  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  say;  but  certain  it  is  -that,  apparently  in  great 
trepidation,  she  remained  hove  to  until  we  had  lost 
sight  of  her  in  4he  distance. 

"  Tuesday  was  a  much  finer  day  than  any  we  had 
experienced  for  nearly  a  week,  but  still  there  was  a 
considerable  sea  running,  and  our  dangers  were  far 
from  passed-  yet  tke  hopes  of  our  ultimate  success  raq 
high.     We  |iad  accomplished  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
deep-sea  portion  of  the  route  in  safety,  and  that,  too, 
under  the  m|Dst  unfavorable  oircumstances  possible- 
therefore  th^te  was  every  reason  to  believe  that  unless 
some  unfor^seeQ.  accident  should  occur,  we  should  ac- 
complish the  remainder. 
J,^Ab6iit  five  o'olook  in  the  ggemag^  the  steep  aab- 


t  ''J 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      513 


marine  mountain  which  divides  the  telegraphic  plateau 
..from  the  Irish  coast  was  reached,  and  the  sudden  shal- 
lowing of  the  water  had  a  very  marked  effect  upon  the 
cable,  causing  the  strain  on  and  the  speed  of  it  to 
lessen  every  minute.  A  great  deal  of  slack  was  paid 
out  to  allow  for  any  great  inequalities  which  might 
exist,  though  undiscovered  by  the  sounding-line. 
'  About  ten  o'clock  the  shoal  water  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  fathoms  was  reached;  the  only  remaining  anxiety 
now  was  the  changing  from  the  lower  main  coil  to  that 
upon  the  upper  deck,  and  this  most  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous operation  was  successfully  performed  between 
three  and  four  o'clock  on  Wednesday  morning. 

"Wednesday  was  a  beautiful,  calm  day;  indeed,  it 
was  the  first  on  which  any  one  would  have  thought  of 
making  a  splice  since  the  day  we  started  from  the 
rendezvous.  We  therefore  congratulated  ourselves  on 
having  saved  a  week  by  commencing  operations  on 
the  Thursday  previous.  At  noon,  we  were  eighty-nine 
miles  distant,  from  the  telegraph  station  at  Valentia. 
The  water  was- shallow,  so  that  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  paying  out- the  wire  almost  without  any  loss  of 
slack,  and  all  looked  upon  the  undertaking  as  virtually 
accomplished. 

"At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  second 
change  from  the  upper-deck  coil  to  that  upon  the  orlop- 


deck  was  saMy  effected,  and  shortly  after  tlie  vessels 


.  ?\,'.  li^if 


T%  -'  ^'-»«- '>'  '""^Si.    .. ,„„■  laiil 


\     '■  '^•^l!^'^ 


214 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEGBAPH. 


exchanged  signals  that  they  were  in  two  hundred 
•    fathoms  water.    As  the  night  advanced  the  speed  of 
the  sh,p  was  redueed,  as  it  was  known  that  we  were 
only  a  short  disfanoe  from  the  land,  and  there  would 
be  no  advantage  in  making  it  before  daylight  in  the 
morn,ng.    Abo^t  twelve  o'eloofc,  however,  the  Skel- 
ligs  L,ght  was  ^n  in  the  distauee,  and  the  Valorous 
s  earned  on  ahe^  ,to  lead  us  in  to  the  coast,  firing  rock- 
ets at  mtervals.io  direct  us,  which  wer.  answe^  by 
"s  from  the  Agamemnon,  though,  according  to  Mr 
Monart^,,  the  master's  wish,  the  ship,  disfegarding  thJ 
^olorou^  kept  her  own  course,  which  proved  I  be 
the  nght  one  in  the  end. 

"By  daylight  on  the  momingof  Thursday,  the  bold 
and  rocky  mountains  which  entirely  surround  th<l  wild 
and  picturesque  neighborhood  of  Talentia,  rose  right 
before  us  at  a  few  mUes'  distance.    Neve;,  probably, 
wa.  the  s,ght  ofland  more  welcome,  as  it  brought  to  I 
successful  termination  one  of  the  greatest,  bn^at  the 
«ame  t,me,  most  difficult  schemes  which  w=^  ever  un- 
rfertoken.    Had  it  been  the  dullest  and  most  melan- 
choly  swamp  on  the  face  of  the  earth  that  lay  before 
^  we  should  have  found  it  a  pleasant  prespect;  but 
OS  the  sun  rose  from  the  estnaiy  of  Dingle  Bay,  tin.       - 
2  -tl.  a  deep,  soft  purple  the  lofty  summits  of  the 
steep  mountams  which  surround  ite  shores,  and  iUu! 
muutmg  the  masses^of  morning  vapor  w  ich  hun^     ' 


/ 


^ 


,J-.  ■^■f  U  ^*  '  At 


r*^:^ip^r^T  :'T|T  ffi 


.-((^-, 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       215 

upon  thera,  it -was  a  scene  which  might  vie  in  beauty 
with  any  thing  that  could  be  produced  bj  the  most 
florid  imagination  of  an  artist 

<mo  one  on.shoje  was  apparently  conscious  of  ojir 
approach,  so  the  Valorous  steamed  ahead  to  the  mouth 
of  the  harbor  and  fired  a  gun.     Both  ships  made 
straight  for  Doulus  Bay,  and  about  six  o'clock  came 
to  anchor  at  the  side  of  Beginish  Island,  opposite  to 
Valentia.    As  soon  as  the  inhabitants  became  aware 
of  our  approach,  there  was  a  general  desertion  of  the 
place,  and  hundreds  of  boats  crowded  around  us,  their 
passengers  in  the  greatest  state  of  excifement  to  hear 
all  about  our  voyage.     The"  Knight  of  Kerry  was  ab- 
sent  in  Dingle,  but  a  messenger  was  immediately  dis- 
\  patched  for  him,  and  he  soon  arrived  in  Her  Majesty's 
gunboat  Shamrock.    Soon  after  our  arrival,  a  signal 
.      was  received  from  the  Niagara  that  they  were  prepar- 
ing  to  land,  having  paid  out  one  thousand  and  thirty 
nautical  miles  of  cable,  while  the  Agamemnon  had  ac- 
complished her  portion  of  the  distance^  with  an  expen- 
diture of  one  thousand  and  twenty  miles,  making  the 
total  length  of  the  wire  submerged  two  thousand  and 
fifty  geographical  miles.    Immediately  after  the  ships 
cast  anchor,  the  paddle-box  boats  of  the  Valorous  were 
got  ready,  and  two  milesof  cable  ooiled  away  in  them, 
for  the  purpose  of  landing  the  end ;  but  it  was  late  in 
*^1_^°^^  ^^Q^  the  procession  of  boats  left  the- 


/ 


^i  ■■ 


iSftMaiilrinrr*-^:'  '- 


w^i  t  ■"«;*«   f  fe  ir'jt,''<^"<H*    '■  ' 


v.:^S-.-^#^p-J 


r 


~\ 


216  ,    HISTORF  OP  TSE  ATLAMTO  TELEaRAP^. 

Ship  under  a  salute  of  three  rounds  if  small-arate 
the  detachment  of  marines  on  board  the  Ag^i^emL    ' 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Morris     S> 

"  The  progress  of  the  end  to  the  shore  wa/v%  slo. 
in  consequence  of  the  very  stiff  wind  whici-blew  at 
the  t:^e,  but  at  abQ^t  three  o'clock  the  end  was 
safely  brought  on  shore  at  Knightstown,  Yulentia,  b. 
Mr.  Bnght  and  Mr.  Canning,  the  chief  and  second  en. 
gineers,  to  whose  exertions  theM^ess  of  the  under- 
taking is  attributable,  and  the  Efl|ht.of  Kerry  *  The 
end  was  immediatelj  laid  in  the  trench  which  had 
been  dug^ to  receive  it,  while  a  rojal  salute,  making 
the  neighboring  rocks  and  mountains  reverberate  an- 
nounced that  the  communication  between  the  Old  and 
the  New  World  had  been  completed." 

•  A  name  that  occars  several  times  In  this  history,  and  one  never  to 
be  mentioned  but  with  honor.   .T,.  Kni.ht  of  Ke^  is  a  LordTtht 


f^A<^|i8S.f4ii'ari.'«'-ai>ifeiufe»'|'4^^ 


■•itp^H 


..\ 


) 


)U 


CHAPTER  XI. 


'  ^-1^8  0,  THE  SrcoiBS.    Oreat  Exoitkm.^  nr  Aiochica.     Popula. 
Enthtisi^    CELK»aAT.oN«lfx^.YoBK  and  OTHiu  Cities. 

Whoever  shaJl  write  the  history  of  popular  enlia. 
siasms^  must  give  a  large  space  to  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph.   Never  did  the  tidings  of  any  great  achieve- 
ment-whether  in  peace  or  war-more  truly  electrifv 
a  nation.    No  doubt,  the  impression  was  the  greater 
becatise  it  took  the  country  by  surprise.     Had  the 
attempt  succeeded  in  June,  it  would  have  found   a 
people  prepared  for  it.    But  the  failure  of  the  first  ex 
pedition,  added  to  that  of  the  previous  year,  settled 
the  fete  of  tiie  enterprise  in  the  minds  of  the  public 
It  was  a  very  grand  but  hopeless  undertaking-   and 
ite  projectors  shared  the  usual  lot  of  those  who  con- 
ceive vast  designs,  and  venture  on  great  enterprises 
which  are  not  successful-to  be  regarded  with  a  mix'  ■ 
ture  of  derision  and  pity. 

Such  was  the  temper  of  the  public^  mind,  when  at 
noon  of  Thursday,  the  fifth  of  August,  the  following 
despatch  vaa received;  ' 


i-  j4f,  'a^  J,  , 


i!<: 


218 


HISTOEY  OF  THS  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


4 


"  Wmo  Sii-TM  FnwiTB  NiAOiiu,        I 
TM»i,i  Bit,  N.«.o™»u!.B,X«8»Bt  »."'»•'      , 

uTo  THE  Associated  PBE83,  Nw-Yoek:        -  ^ 

?T™  Atlantic  Telegraph  fleet  sailed  fcom  Queen^ 

«,„rWand,  Saturday,  July  -^u.^"*^  and  "u 

rmid-'ooean  WeduesdaJ^  July  twentyeighth.    Made 

L^ic^t  one  P.M.,  Thursday,  the  twenty-rnutb,  and 

*  Ited-tho  Agau>e»non  aud  «=•  ^^f  ^ 

Valentia  Ireland;  the  Niagara  and  Gorgon,  for  this 

Jt  Xre  thoy  arrived  yesterday,  a~nd  th.  n>o|n.ng 

tliB  end  of  the  cable  will  be  landed.         '         .     ,     •      ' 

"":.It  i3  one  thousand  si.  hundred  ^^  »-/-^ 

nautieal    or  one  thousand  nine   hundred  and  fifty 

nautieai,  o  telegraph  House  at  the  head  of 

••x:h:"-%->^^^^ 

BulltTrinity  Bay^^d  ^^  ^^XZ^^^r. 

r.n?a:utthesa.es^d^-^-j7; 
The .  electric  signals  sent  .and  receivea  6 

whole  cable  are  perfect.  ^^^^^  ^^^^^^ 

,      »  The  machinery  for  pa^ng  Q^ 
i„«>enrpstsatisf«ory.an^»^-^ 
for  a  single  moment  &om  the  Ume  tne-  .» 

-^SL^trr^-Kverett^-^ 
""Iheen^neers.theereerfoianBrlto^fltoB^f^'''^ 


HISTORY  OP  THE   ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        219 

and  in  fact,'  every  man  on  board  the  telegraph  ^eet, 
haa  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to  make  tKe  expe- 
dition successful,'  and  by  the  blessing  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence it  has  succeeded. 

"After  the  end  of  the  cable  is  landed  and  connected 
■with  the  land  line  of  telegraph,. and  the  Niagara  has 
discharged  some  cargo  belonging  to  the  Telegraph 
Company,  she  will  go  to  St.  John's  for  coal,  and  then 
proceed  at  once  to  New- York. 

"  Cyrus  W.  Field." 


,  The  impression  of  this  simple  announcement  it  is  im- 
possible to  conceive.  It  was  immediately  telegraphed 
to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  everywhere 
produced  the  greatest  excitement.  In  some  places  all 
business  was  suspended ;  Tnen  jushed  into  the  streets, 
and  flocked  to  the  officfflNj^here  the  news  was  received. 
An  impressive  scene  was  witnessed  at  a  religious 
convocation  in  New-England.  At  Andover,  Mas- 
sachusetts, the  news  arrived  while  the  Alumni  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  were  celebrating  their  semi- 
centennial anniversary  by  a  dinner.  One  thousand 
persons  were  present,  all  of  whom  rose  to  their  feet, 
and  gave  vent  to  their  excited  feelings  by  continued 
and  enthusiastic  cheers.  When  quiet  was  restored, 
Rev.  Dr.  Adams,  of  New-York,  said  his  heart  was  too 
^J^lr  for  a  speech^  1^4  su^ested,  as^  &e  more  fit^g- 


-'■r  , 


■■^*mm 


,w> 


#si 


1    ' 


^•_''T    --,-   -yr'-^z^^<^^.^. 


i   "^S^'^  '^'' 


*'5*-^iSr 


•    t: 


'{    ). 


fi- 


I 


t 


K 


t    <* 


220       HISTORY  OP  THE  A-PLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

Utterance  of  wHt  all  felt,  that  thej  should  join  in 
thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God.  Eev.  Dr.  Hawes,  of 
Hartford,  then  >J[ed  the  assembly  in  fervent  prayer, 
acknowledging  the  great  event  as  from  the  hand  of 
God,  and  as  calculated  to  hasten  the  triumphs  of  civil- 
ization and  Christianity.  Then  all  standing  up  to- 
gether, sang,  to  the  tune  of  Old  Hundred,  the  majea- 
tio  doxology :  i . 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessmgs  flow, 
Praise  Him  all  creatures  here  below ; 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host, 
Praise  Father,  Son,  ami  Holy  Ghost !" 

Thus— said  Dr.  Hawea— "  we  have  now  consecrated 
this  new  power,  so  far  as  our  agency  is  concerned,  to 
the  building  up  of  the  truth." 

In  New- York  the  news  was  received  at  first  with 
some  incredulity.  But  as  it  was  confirmed  by  subse- 
quent dispatches;  the  city  broke  out  into  tumultuous 
rejoicing.  Never  was  there  such  an  outburst  of  popu 
lar  feeling.  In  Boston  a  hundred,  guns  were  fired  on^ 
the  Common,  and  the  bells  of  the  city  were  rung  for 
an  hour  to  give  utterance  to  the  general  joy.  Simihur 
scenes  were  witnessed  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 
I  have  now  before  me  the  New- York  p^pera  of  August, 
1858,  and  from  the  memorable  fifth,  when  the  landing 
took  place,  to  the  end  of  the  month,  they  contain  hani- 
V  T««jr  thing  olw"dran"|rapmiff^  d6t56nstraiidnfl  io 


1 


*^-^. 


iJS »  -J     '  -    I"     ,  t   '         ( 


V'  ' 


^ISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       221 

-     honor  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph.     It  was  indeed  a 
national  jubilee. 

It  wa^  natural  that  this  overflow  of  public  feeling 
should  express  iteelf  towards  one  who  waa  recognized 
as  the  author  of  the  great  work,  which  inspired  suck  • 
universal  joy.     Mr.  Field,  much  to  his  own  surprise." 
awoke  and  found  himself  famous."    In  twenty-four 
hours  his  name  was  on.millions  of  tonguea    Congratu- 
lations  poured  in  from  all  quarters,  from  mayors  of 
cities  and  governors  of  States;  from  all  parts  of  the 
Union  and  the  British  Provinces ;  from  the  President 
of  the  United  States  and  the  Governor-General  of 
Canada.    Mr.  Buchanan  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Field,  at 
Trinity  Bay: 

:^'My  Dear  Sir:  I  congratulate  you  with  all' my 
heart  on  the  success  of  the  great  enterprise  with  which 
your  name  is  so  honorably  connected.  Under  the 
blessing  of  Divine  Providence  I  trust  it  may  prove  in- 
strumental  in  promoting  perpetual  peace  and  friendship 
between  the  kindred  nations." 

The  popular  estimate  of  the  achievement  and  its 
author  went  still  ferther.  WithAe  natural  exaggera- 
tion common  to  masses  of  men,  when  carried  away  by 
a  sudden  enthusiasm,  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  waa 
hailed  as  an  immense  stride  in  the  onward  progress  of ' 
the  race,  an  event  in  the  history  of  the  world  h»rd]y 


in^^to  Wdisooveiy  of  America,  or  to  the  inven- 


Ji^^^li^  t;^  .s  >'«^L^ij^.Wi,^.  ^y^ 


-it^it,    j».  ^ 


i.'iij[iiiiiliuil!iiji(i^i§S| 


I  ?( 


I 


t 


222       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

tion  of  the  art  of  printing ;  and  tne  name  of  its  pro- 
jector was  coupled  with  those  of  Franklin  and  Colum- 
bus. He  who  but  yesterday  was  regarded  as  a  vision- 
ary, to-day  waa  exalted  as  a  benefector  of  his  country 
and  of  mankind. 

This  avalanche  of  praise  was  quite  overwhelming. 
It  is  always  embarrassing  to  be  forced  into  sud- 
den conspicuity,  and  to  find  one's  self  the  object  of 
general  attention  and  applause.    While  feeling  this 
embarrassment,  Mr.  Field  could  not  but  be  gratified 
^  to  witness  the  public  joy  at  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise, and  he  was  deeply  touched  and  grateful  for  the 
appreciation  of  his  own  services.     But  probably  all 
these  public  demonstrations  did  not  go  to  his  heart  so 
much  as  private  letters  received  from  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic,  from  those  who  had  shared  the  labors  of 
the  enterprise — old  companions  in  arms  who  had  borne 
with  him  the  heavy  burden,  and  now  were  fully  en- 
titled to  a  share  in  the  honor  which  was  the  reward  of 
their  common  toiL 

As  a  sample  of  the  congiatulations  which  came  from 
beyond  the  sea,  we  quote  a  single  passage  from  a  letter 
of  Mr.  George  Saward,  the  Secretary  of  the  Company 
in  London,  written  immediately  on  receiving  the  news 
of  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  Under  the  impression 
of  .that  event,  Be  writes  to  Ifi.  Field : 
=-**Ar1iBriS»pcs6wdf&ir^ec^asr"T'^c^W" 


7^ 


tHSTOKY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.   223 

it  for  the  sake  of  humanity  at  large.     I  rejoice  at  it  for 
the  sake  of  our  common  nationalities,  and  last  but  not 
least,  for  your  personal  sake.    I  most  heartily  and  sin- 
cerely rejoice  with  you,  and  congratulate  you,  upoar 
I  this  happy  termination  to  the  trouble  and  anxiety,  the 
continuous  and  persevering  labor,  and  never-ceasing 
and  sleepless  energy,  which  the  successful  accomplish- 
ment of  this  vast  and  noble  enterprise  has  cost  you. 
Never  was  man  more  devoted— never  did  man's  energy 
better  deserve  success  than  yours  has  done.    May  you 
in  the  bosom  of  your  family  reap  those  rewards  of  re- 
pose and  affection,  which  will  be  .doubly  sweet  from 
the  reflection,  that  you  return  to  them  after  having 
been  under  ProvidAce  the  main  and  leading  principal 
in  conferring  a  vast  and  enduring  benefit  on  mankind. 
If  the  contemplation  of  fame  has  ?i  charm  for  you,  you 
may  well  indulge  in  the  reflection ;  for  the  name  of 
Cyrus  W.  Field  will  now  go  onward  to  immortality, 
as  long  as  that  of  ,the  Atlantic  Telegraph  shall  be 
known  to  mankind." 

The  Directors,  whose  faith  and  courage  had  been  so 
severely  tried,  now  felt  double  joy,  for  their  friend 
and  for  themselves,  at  this  glorious  result  of  their 
united  labors.  Mr.  Peabody  wrote  that  "  his  reflec- 
tions must  be  like  those  of  Columbus,  after  the  discov- 
eiy  of  America."    Sir  Oharlea  Wood  and  Sir  Joba^ 


^ 


Pakington,  who,  as  aucceasive  First  Lords  of  the  Ad- 


>.  ,'B^i 


■jAfc*   <t%k     '-    ^ji- 


^ 


\{-'  ',ii;;'A4i., 


^P^mMaemmmmmmmn. 


\ 


t 


I' 


'r-('^'*¥'*  '-^^W  Wi^9iiWKi 


/ 


i 


224       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAITTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

miralty  had  supported  the  enterprise  with  the  coWant 
aid  of  the  British  Government,  wrote  to  Mr.  Field 
letters  of  congratulation  on  the  great  work  which  had 
been  carried  through  mainly  bj  his  energy  and  un- 
conquerable  wUl.  They  were  above  any  petty  na- 
tional  jealousy^  and  never  imagined  that  it  would 
detract  aught  from  the  just  honor  of  England,  to 
award  full  praise  to  the  courage  and  enterprise  of  an 
American.  '         .  "  .    ' 

On  his  part,  Mr.  Field  was  equally  anxious  to  ac- 
knowledge the  invaluiible  aid  given  by  others-aid, 
without  which  the  eflforta  of  no  single  individual 
could  command  success.     On  his  arrival  at  St.  John's, 
he  was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm  by  the  whole  pop' 
ulation.    An  address  was  presented  to  him  by  the 
Executive  Council  cf  Newfoundland,  in  which  they 
offer  their  hearty  congratulations  on  the  success  of 
the  undertaking,  which  they  recognize  as  chiefly  due 
^  to  him.     "  Intimately  acquainted  as  we  have  been  "— 
.  these  are  their  words—"  with  the  energy  and  enter- 
prise  which  have  distinguished  you  from  the  com. 
^  mencement  of  the  great  work  of  telegraph  connection 
belween  the  Old  and  the  New  Worlds;  and  feeling 
fiat  under  Providence  this  triumph  of  science  is  vnainly 
due  to  your  weU-direcied  and  indomitable  exertions,  we 
•  desire  to  express  to  you  our  high  appreciation  of  your 
Jii(y.e8g4a  tlie  cause  of  the  world's  piogreHH;"  ^te.  ■  to 


N 


•f 


touj?   ^ 


mMmmmh 


( 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.    *  226 

which  Mr.  Field  replied,  recognizing  "in  turn  the  cor- 
dial support  which  he  had  always  received  from  the 
Government  of  Newfoundland.  The  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  St.  John's  also  presented  an  address  in 
similar  terms,  to  which  he  replied  — after  acl^now- 
ledging  their  kind  mention  of  his  own  labors  »nd 
sacrifices : 

"  But  it  would  not  only  be  ungenerous,  but  unjust, 
that  I  should  for  a  moment  forget  the  services  of  those 
who  were  my  co- workers  in  this  enterprise,  and  with- 
out whom  any  labors  of  mine  would  have  been  un- 
availing.     It  would  be  difficult  to  enumerate  the 
many  gentlemen  whose  scientific  acquirements,  and 
skill  and  energy  have  been  devoted  to  the  advance- 
ment of  this  work,  and  who  have  so  mainly  produced 
the  issue  which  has  called  forth  this  expression  of 
your  good  wishes  on  my  behalf.    But  I  could  not  do 
justice  to  my  own  feelings  did  I  fail  to  acknowledge 
how  much  is  owing  to  Captain  Hudson  and  the  ofli- 
cers  of  the  Niagara,  whose  hearts  were  in  the  work, 
and  whose  toil  was  unceasing ;  to  Captain  Dayman  of 
ber  Majesty's  ship  Gbrgon,  for  the  fundings  so  accu- 
rately made  by  him  last  year,  and  for  the  perfect  man- 
ner in  which  he  led  the  Niagara  over  the  great-circle 
arc  while  laying 'tHe  cable;  to  Captain  Otter,  of  the 
JPorcupine,  for  the  careful  survey  made  by  bJr?  Jn 


Trinity  Bay^  and  for  the  admi^^able  mannjer  iQ-wbich 


p.  *i  .    ^^    1 


^« 


.  (ft  ^ 


t    ". 


r",€^ 


.V^i  '-'/*«-,     ,-     ^. '.•r^*x.-.'<r^^<P!^^^SW^g«^ 


V-V'JI-'f' 


226-      HISTORY  OF^pE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

he  piloted  the  Niagara  at  night  to  her  anchorage  ;  to 
Mr.  Everett,  who  has  for  months  devoted  his  whole 
time  to  designing  and  perfecting  the  bea\itiful  ma* 
chinerj  that  has  so  successfully  paid  out  the  cable 
from  the  ships— machinery  so  perfect  in  every  respect, 
that  it  was  not  for  one  moment  stopped  on  board  the- 
Niagara  until  she  reached  her  destination  in  Trinity 
Bay ;  to  Mr.  Woodhduse,  who  superintended  the  coil- 
ing of  the  cable,  and  zealously  and  ably  cooperated 
with  his  brother  engineer  during  the  progress  of  pay- 
.   ing  out ;  to  the  electricians  for  their  constant  watch- 
fulness; to  the  men  for  their  almost  ceaseless  labor;' 
(and  I  feel  confidfent  that  .you  will  have  a  good  report 
from    the    commanders,   engineers,   electricians,   and 
othera  on  board  the  Agamemnon  and  Valorous,  the 
Irish  portion  of  the  fleet ;)  to  the  Directors  of  the  At- 
lantic Telegraph  Company  for  the  time  they  have  de- 
voted to  the  undertaking  without  receiving  any  com- 
pensation foi'their  services,  (and  it  must  be  a  pleasure 
to  many  of  you  to  know  that  the  director,  who  has 
devoted  more  time  than  any  other,  was  for  many 
years  a  resident  of  this  place,  and  well  known  to  ail 
of  you— I  allude  \o  Mr,  Brooking,  of  London ;)  to 
Mr.  O.  M.  Lampson,  si.  native  of  Npw-En^nd,  but 
who  has  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years  resided  in 
Lo^don,  who  appreciated  the  great  importance  of  this 
-..£ntelpii8«  to4:H>th  ooantries,  aad  ga\re  it  laost  valusbfer^ 


•tfl  i\. 


\ 


-Tf,.^..,/' 


".r-' ! 


r 


HISTORY  OF  I^HE/A'ltAimo  TELEGRAPH.       227 

'  > 

aid,  bringing  his  sound  judgment  and  great  business 
talent  to  the  service  of  the  Company  ;  to  that  distin- 
^  guished  American,  Mr.  George  Peabody,  and  his  most 
worthy  partner,  Mr.  Morgan,  who  not  only  assisted  it, 
most  liberally  with  their  means,  but  to  whom  I  could^ 
always  go  with  confidence  for  advice." 

Such  acknowledgments,  constantly  repeated,  showed 
a  mind  incapable  of  envy  or  jealousy ;  that  was  chiefly 
anxious  to  recognize  the  services  of  otliers,  and  that 
they  should  receive  from  the  public,  both  of  England 
and  America,  the  honors  which  they  had  so  nobly 
earned. 

After  two  or  three  days'  delay  at  St.  John's,  which 
the  Niagara  waa  obliged  to  make  for  coal,  but  which 
the  people  spent  in  festivity  and  rejoicing,  she  left 
for  New- York,  where  she  arrived  on  the  eighteenth- 
two  weeks  from  the  landing  of  the  cable  in  Trinity 
Bay.  These  had  been  weeks  of  great  excitement,  yet 
not  unmirigled  with  suspense  and  anxiety.  The  pub- 
lic, eager  for  news,  devoured  every  thing  that  con- 
cerned the  telegraph  with  impatience,  but  all  was  not 
satisfactory.  Dispatches  from  Trmity  Bay  s|id  that 
signals  were  contiijiually  passing  over  the  cable,  yet 
no  news  reached  thfe  public  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  This  wa|  partially  explained  by  a  di8j)atch 
■AQB  M^-  M^^^y  sefit  from  Trinity  Bay  to  the 


ciated,  Press  as  earljr  as  the  seventh : 


tl^U-i  ^f  i." 


.-V 


fik 


228 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


"  We  landed  here  in  the  woods,  and  until  th«  tel- 
egraph instruments  are  aU  ready,  and  perfectly  adjust- 
ed, no  communications  can  pass  between  the'  two  con- 
tinents ;  but  the  electric  currents  are  received  freely. 

"  You  shall  have  the  earliest  intimation  when  all  is , 
ready,  but  it  may  be  some  days  before  every  thing  is 
perfected.    The  first  through  message  between  Europe 
and  America  will  be  from  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  ' 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  second 
his  reply." 

But  as  the  public  grew  more  impatient,  and  friends 
sent  anxious  inquiring  messages,  he  telegraphed  again 
from  St.  John's  on  the  eleventh  : 

"  Before  I  left  London,  the  Directora  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company  decided  unanimously  that,  after 
the  cable  was  laid,  and  the  Queen's  and  President's 
messages  transmitted,  the  line  should  be  kept  for'  sev- 
eral weeks  for  the  sole  use  of  Dr.  Whitehouse,  Pro- 
fessor Thomson,  and  other  electricians,  to  enable  them 
to  test  thoroughly  their  several  modes  of  telegraphing, 
so  that  the  Directors  might  decide  which  wa^  the  best 
and  most  rapid  method  for  future  use ;  for  it  was  con- 
sidered that  after  the  line  should  be  once  thrown  open 
for  business,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  obtain  it  for 
experimental  purposes,  even  for  a  short  time. 
"I?ue  notice  will  be  given  when  the  line  yfUl  be 


-ready  for  bTisTness,  anTtfe  tarirof  prices." 


■K^  v  ,J,  Aj!^^|iit^ 


me^ 


'      .\  '■ 


ry '-,  «w#?;,-^" '  ^s»:^'s?|!p'#>si^^^^^^ 


Iv^ 


,4     CV 


/• 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       229 

Still  the  public  were  not  satisfied,  and  many  w«re 
beginning  to  doubt,  when,  oh  the  sixteenth,  it  was 
suddenly  announced  that-the  Queen's  message  was  re- 
ceived. As  this  was  between  the  heads  of  the  two 
countries,  we  give  both  the  message  and  the  reply: 

"To  THE  President  op' the  United  States,  Washington: 

"  The  Queen  desires  to  congratulate  the  President 
upon  the  successful  completion  of  this  great  inter- 
national work,  in  which  the  Queen  has  taken  the 
deepest  interest. 

"  The  Queen  is  convinced  that  the  President  will 

join  with  her  in  fervently  hoping  that  the  electric 

•  cable  which  now  connects  Great  Britain  with  the 

United  States  will  prove  an  additional  link  between 

the  nations,  whose  friendship  is  founded  upon  their 

common  interest  and  reciprocal  esteem. 

"The  Queen  has  much  pleasure  in  thus  communi- 
cating with  the  President,  and  renewing  to  him  her 
wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  the  United  States." 

"  WASHmoTON  OiTT,  August  16,  1868. 
"To  Hub  Majkstt  Victoria,  thjI  Queen  or  Great  BniyAra: 
"  The  President  cordially  reciprocates  the  congratu- 
lations df  her  Majesty  the  Queep,  on  the  suQceas  of  the   ' 
great  international   enterprise  accomplished  by  the  • 
acieaoe,  dEffi^-tmd^Hbdomitable^ 
oountriesw 


«*E*,ffife£ia^Vj'i.,  ■ 


/ 


Ji       -  *^'^^*n^M:'ht 


j(f -'-fliiltllMMTrlMMllrii.i 


"tifr*!'^  '"^^t  yn 


280   mSTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

"  It  is  a  triumph  more  glorious,  because  far  more 
useful  to  mankind,  than  was  ever  won  by  conqueror 
on  the  field  of  battle. 

"  May  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  under  the  blessing 
of  Heaven,  prove  to  be  a  bonl  of  perpetual  peace  and 
friendship  between  the  kindred  nations,  ajid  an  instru- 
ment destined  by  Divibe  Providence  to  diffuse  reli- 
gion, civilization,  liberty,  and  law  throughout  the 
world.  ^  • 

"  In  this  view,  will  not  all  nations  of  Christendom 
spontaneously  unite  in  the  declaration  that  it  shall  be 
for  ever  neutral,  and  that  its  communications  shall  be 
held  sacred  in  passing  to  their  places  of  destination, 
even  in  the  midst  of  hostilities  ? 

"James  Buchanan." 
The  arrival  of  the  Queen's  message  was  the  signal 
for  a  fresh  outbreak  of  popular  enthusiasm.  The  nel^ 
morning,  August  seventeenth,  the  city  of  New- York 
was  awakened  by  the  thunder  of  artillery.  A  hun- 
dred guns  were  fired  in  the  Park  at  daybreak,  and  the 
salute  was  repeated  at  noon.  At  this  hour,  flags  were 
flying  from  all  the  public  buildings,  and  the  bells  of 
the  principal  churches  began  to  ring,  reminding  one  of 
Tennyson's  ode  to  th«  happy  Ohristraas  bells  that  were 
ringing  out  the  departing  year  I  , 


>■?"■ 


,^J, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBj^H.       281 

'  Ring  out  the  old,  rmg  in  the  new, 

Ring  out  the  falae,  ring  m  the  true. 

That  night  the  citj  was  illuminated.    Never  had-it 
seen  such  a  brilliant  spectacle.    It  seemed  as  if  it  were 
intended  to  light  up  the  very  heat^ns.     Such  was  the 
blaze  of  lig%  around  the  City  Hall,  that  the  cupola 
caught  fire,  and  was  consumed,  and  the  Hall  itself  nar- 
rowly escaped  destruction.     Similar  demonstrations 
took  place  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States.    From 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  erery  city  was  heard  the  firing 
of  guns  and  the  ringing  of  bells.    Nothing  seemed  too 
extravagant  to  give  expression  to  the  popular  rejoic- 
ing. 

The  next  morning  after  this  illumination,  the  Nia- 
gara entered  the  harbor  of  New-York,  and  Mr.  Field 
hastened  to  his  home.  The  night  before  leaving  the 
ship,  he  had  written  to  a  late  hour  to  the  Directora  in 
Londok  giving  a  full  report;  of  the  laying  of  the  Cable, 
which  he  dosed  by  resigning  the  position  which  ho 
had  held  for  the  last  seven  months.    He  wrote : 

"At  Wr  unanimous  request,  but  at  a  f8ty  gfeat  ' 
personal  Wrifice  to  myself,  I  accepted  the  office  of 
General  Manager  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company, 
for  the  soW  purpose  of  doing  all  in  my  power  to  aid 
-yon  to  make  the  iHiterprise  si^gessfd  |-fiHd-  ais  that 
object  has  W  attainea,  yo^  will  please  accept  my 


^.... 


*\ 


fjt^ 


•\'   '/  >jr''7" 


282      HISTORY  or  the  Atlantic  telegraph^ 


-^: 


resignation.  It  will  always  afford  me  pleasure  to  do 
any  thing  in  my  power,  consistent  with  my.  duties  to 
my  family  and  my  own  private  affairs,  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company." 

Once  more  with  his  family,  Mr.  Field  hoped  for  a. 
brief  interval  of  rest  and  quiet.    But  this  was  impos- 
sible.   The  great  event  with  whicli  his  iame  was  con- 
nected was  too  fresh  in  the  public  mind.    He  could 
not  escape  public  observation.   He  was  at  once  throng- 
ed with  visitors,  offering  their  congratulations,  and 
his  house  surrounded  with  crowds  eager  to  see  and 
hear  him.    While  making  all  allowance  for  popular 
excitement,  yet  none  could  deny  that  a  service  so 
great  demanded  some  public  recognition.    Even  in 
England,  where  the  enthusiasm  did  not  approach  that 
in  this  country,  still  the  wondrous  character  of  the 
achievement  was  fully  acknowledged.    Said  the  Lon- 
don Times  on  the  naoming  of  the  sixth  of  August; 
"  Since  the  discovery  of  Columbus,  nothing  has  been 
done  in  any  degree  comparable  to  the  vast  enlargement 
which  has  thus  been  given  to  the  sphere  of  human 
activity."    "  More  was  done  yesterday  for  the  consoli' 
dation  of  our  empire,  than  the  wisdom  of  our  states- 
men, the  liberality  of  our  Legislature,  or  the  loyalty 
of  our  colonists,  could  ever  have  effected."    To  mark 
the  puMio  benefit  which  had  been  6onferred,  the 
Ohief^TiliiilJAiiwi   of  the  EAmHUQon.  Mr.  tftigrleB- 


■^.^ 


■flu 


Sii'i-aiij' 


'^^th%  I 


if'"'       J 


■'     .,!»'"  V^'* 


I  j-n       •.  -^  *>'  ' 


^ 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKGBAPH.       238 

Bright,  was  knighted,  aud  Captains  Preedy  and  Aid- 
ham  were  both  made  Companions  of  the  Bath.  Thus 
England  showed  her  appreciation  of  their  services. 

But  in  this  country  titles  and  honors  come  ijot  froia 
the  Government^  but  from  the  people.  Popular  en-, 
thusiasin  exhausted  itself  in  eulogies  of  the  man  who 
had  Hnked  the  Old  World  to  the  New.  It  seems 
strange  now  to  sit  down  in  cool  blood,  and  read  what 
was  published  in  >the'  papers  of  that  day.  A^collec- 
tiotf  of  American  journals  issued  during  that  eventful 
month,  August,  1868,  wottld  be  a  literary  curiosity.* 

"■  \ 
•  Such  a  curiosity  exists,  prefMured  by  the  industry  of  a  gentleman 
who  is  one  of  the  most  <»reful  collectors- of  the  events  of  his  time— 
thus  gathering\ip  and  preserving  the  materials  of  future  history— Mr. 
John  R.  Bartlett,  Secretary  of  State  of  Rhode  Island.  This  gentleman 
lias  Icept  files  of  all  the  papers  referring  to  the  AUantic  Telegraph,  from 
which  he  has  compiled  a  very  imique  volume.  It  11%  the  form  of  a 
scrap-book,  but  on  a  gigantic  scale,  being  of  a  size  equal-  to  Web- 
ster's large  Dictionary.  It  is  made  up  entirely  of  newspaper  cut* 
tings,  classified  under  different  heads,  and  neatly  arranged  in  donble 
columns  on  nearly  four  hundred  folio  pages.  The  matter  titus  oom- 
proBsed  would-malce  between  three  an^  four  octavo  volumes  of  the  size 
of  Presoott's  Histories,  if  printed  in  the  style  of  those  works.  Every 
thing  is  included  that  could  be  gathered  from  the  European  as  well  aa 
American  papefs,  touching  the  claims  of  the  inventors  and  projectors 
of  the  electric  telegraph  in  general,  and  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  in 
paitieular.  tThe  historical  sketches  are  setoff  by  illustrations  taken 
from  the  pictorial  ^pers.    Altogether  it  embraces  more  of  the  mate- 


•  '<''■■, 


TTHatoiy^thlOulpOt  thM  My  toFume  with  wSi^^ 


'^ 


\ 


% 


>y5t 


-y. 


i* 


-:?4^3;.v 


^    -0 


284       HBTOET  OP  THE  ATLAOTIO  TULiaiBAM. 

_  Nor  was  it  merely  in  sueh  outward  demonstraao,« 
tnat  the  public  enthusiasm  showed  itself    Thefeelins 
struck  4eeper,  and  reached  all  minds.    WhUe  the  pe^ 
pie  shouted  and  cannon  roared,  sober  and  thoughtful 
men  pondered  on  the  change  th*t  was  being  wrought 
m  the  earth.    Business  men  reasoned  how  it  would 
«8&ot  the  commerce  of  the  world,  while  the  philanthro- 
p.c  regarded  it  as  thft  forerunuer  of  an  age  of  univereal 
P«toe.    The  first  message  flash^acU  the  sea-^Teu 
before  that  of  the  Queen-had  been  one  of  religious 
exultahon.    It  was  from  the  iircclora  in  Great  Bri- 
taan  to  those  on  this  side  ft^ttotic,  and,  simply  «. 

omng  the&ctthatEuron^.M  America wereuniW  by 
telegraph,  at  once  brpK  iJto  a  stmiu  of  reUgious  rap- 
tor^  echomg  the  ^;^of  the  angels  over  a  Saviour^ 
*i^h:  .  Glo^  to  9od  in  the  highest,  on  earth,  peac^, 
^od-wJl  towarf^meu."  Poefyat  ouce  caught  up  the 
8t,a,n.    The  eyent  became  the  theme  of  innumerable 


•~iJi>- 


-^^t^  ^-^  Wea  t,^  ^tle  prefixed  toitb.the  laboHou. 

«Th.  ATLA^no  T«LKOBAPH.-ltg  Origin  and  History  with  an  a 
,  tag  the  Cable,  and  of  tlie  Celebration  of  the  Great  ?.ent  in  New-Yo^k 
Du^uBsiona  Sermons.  Poetry,  and  Anecdotes  renting  thereto-  also  ! 

Map^  Phu«,  Views,  and  PortraI^  coUected  from  the  Ifewsoan-.  «f 
-ibUl^anda...u.gedb,  Joint  ItmieUBartlett.    18M.H       ^"^ 


•     f  1 


m 


J-«s._ 


.'  HiSTORr  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH.        285 

Odes  and  hymns,  of  which  it  must  be  said  that,  what- 
ever  their  merit  as  poetry,  their  spirit  at  least  was  no- 
ble,  celebrating  the  event  chiefly  as  promoting  the 
brotherhood  of  the  human  family.  The  key-note  was 
struck  m  such  lines  as  these :  ^ ' 

'lis  done !  the  angry  sea  consents, 

The  nations  stand  no  more  apart 
With  claspM  hands  the  continents 

Feel  throbbbga  of  each  other's  heart. 

Speed,  speed  the  cable ;  let  it  run 

A  loving  girdle  round,  the  earth, 
Till  all  the  nations 'neath  the  sun  .    '    ■ 

Shall  be  as  brothers  of  one  hearth  • 

Ab  brothers  pledging,  hand  in  hand, 

One  freedom  for  the  world  abroad. 
One  commerce  over  every  land,  ''*' 

One  language  and  one  God. 

The  sermons  preached  on  this  occasion  were  literal- 
ly without  number.  Enough  found  their  way  into 
print  to  make  a  large  volume.  Never  had  an  event 
touched  more  deeply  the  spirit  of  religious  enthusiasm 
Devout  men  held  it  as  an  advance  toward  that  millen- 
nial era  which  was  at  once  the  object  of  their  faith  and 
hope.  Was  not  this  the  predicted  time  when,  "  many 
should  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  should  be  in- 
^creagedr  ,So  sa^L  th&  preaobei^  taking  fortfaeirfei 
vorite  texts  the  vision  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Their  line  iff 


'i 


^: 


■J 


..^.. 


r- 


l  'i  .' 

■4    . 


Hi 


.    ,    f '  '  , "  "  "*       ''^-  ■  "'•'^ 


\- 


% 

5* 


236 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLBGBAPH. 


^   gone  on  through  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to  thd 
'   end  ofj the  world;"  or  the  question' of  tTob :  "Canst 
thou  seM  forth  the  lightnings,  that  they  may  go  and 
8ayuntothee,Hereweare?»    Was  not  this  the  dawn 
of  that  happy  age,  when  all  men  should  be  bound  to- 
.  gether  in  peaceful  intercourae,  And  nations  should 
learn  war  no  more  ?    Such  was  the  burden  of  the  dis- 
courses that  were  preached  in  a  thousand  pulpita  from 
one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.    Even  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  so  lofty  and  inflexible  in  its  claims 
^anng  mto  the  past  centuries,  and  almost  disdaining 
the  material  progress  of  4he  present  day  as  compared 
with  the  spiritual  glories  of  the  Ages  of  Faith,  did  not 
Ignore  the  great  event;  and  in  laying  the  foundation 
of  the  new  Cathedral  of  St.  Patrick,  the  largest  temple 
of  religion  on  the  continent.  Archbishop  Hughes  placed 
under  the  corner-stone  an  inscription,  wherein,  along 
with  the  enduring  record  of  the  Christian  faith  and  the 
names  of  martyrs  and  confessore,  he  did  not  disdain  to 
include  a  brief  memorial  of  this  last  achievement  of 
science,  and  the  name  of  him  who  bad  conferred  so 
great  a  benefit  oil  mankind. 

These  public  demonstrationa  culminated  on  the  flrat 
of  September,  when  the  city  authorities  gave  a  pubKo  > 
ovation  to  Mr.  Field  and  the  officera  of  the  expedition 
In  accepting  these  honors,  Mr.  Field  had  taken  good 
qgq  that  the  British  offioeni  shoi: 


t  t 

■■*'''  \  I 


m 


\ 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       237 

the  American.    At  St.  John's  he  had  been  notified  of 
the  intended^  celebration,  and  at  once  telegraphed  to 
the  British  Admiral  at  Halifax: 
*      *'  I  should  consider  it  a  verj  great  personal  favor Jf 
Jon  would  p^it  the  Gorgon,  Captain  J)ayman;  to 
^"^^jMjjt  ^'^S^^^  Captain  Hudson,  to  New- 
^^'^  HRpBh.  officers  and  English  sailora  have  Ja- 
bored  with  American  officers  and  American  sailors  to 
lay  the  Atlantic  cable.     They  were  with  us  in  our 
days  of  trial,  and  pray  let  them,' if  you  can,  share 
with  us  our  triumph."  ^^ 

The  request  was  granted  so  far  as  this,  that  the  offi- 
cers  were  allowed  leave  of  absence,  and  came  on  to 
New-York  to  take  part  in  the  celebration,  and  in  all 
the  honors  which  followed,  the  officers  of  the  Gorgon 
were  associated  with  those  of  the  Niagara. 

The  day  arrived,  and  the  celebration  surpassed  any 
thmg  which  the  citjr  had  ever  witnessed  before.  It 
was  a  mild  autumn  day-.warm,  yet  with  a  sky  softly 
veiled  with  clouds,  that  seemed  to  invite  a  whole  po- 
pulation into  the  streets.  The  day  commenced  with  a 
flolemn  service  at  Trinity  Ohuroh,  which  was  attended  • 
by  the  city  authorities,  the  representatives  of  fo^ign 
powers,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people.  The  vast 
edifice  was  decorated  with  evergreens;  in  the  xjentee 
hung  a  cross,  with  the  inscription ;  "  Gbry  to  Qod  nn 


Wgh ;  and  on  eartij,  peaoe^  j^d  will  towards  men/ 


-t..L 


"'■^WCSP^ 


hi 


.  ^-i^-- 


i 


\^ 


. '.. 


288 


^HisTOBT  OF  T^  i^nj^^  m^GBAPH. 


Wien  the  audience  were  SSsemhM  a' 

which  fcages  the  Chrhif^.      *''°*  ""*«"«  *» 
Lora"*h^/yj    .     .  ^°^®' ^^"S  sing  unta  the. 

At  noon,  Mr.  Field  and  theofficersoff],«c.i>-     i    . 

'"  tal  Palace     Tr.  f i,  ^**®^^  *^  *^e  Crys- 

Forthewholedi^tancetten         "^^  ■""  "''^• 

windows  and  eveTttetnTnT"™''''*'-    '"''« 

««.  people.    E^ht!^  H  a  :T  "°"  ^'^* 

eve.y  device,  floateTTZ  aT  I  ."""""^  "'^ 

c<*d  *at  it  was  fi«,  „,        T'         ^"^  ""  *■■« 

>ioa  could  ^^^^\^-^»«>-«'ep^ 

'■Sib:  Histcy  ra««d.  im  few  ««t.q,n„,«  ,rf  .^ 


W 


/, 


t^.^^-^^*-"-' 


.Si'.' 


w'T'"^ 


EGBAPH. 

tere  entered  a 
ed  by  Bishop, 
sr  the  address. 
3  read,  and  at  . 
>  anthems  in 
to  potir  forth 
Jinguntathe. 
''  Deum  Lav^ 

e  ships  land- 
t  a  national 
sxtended  for 
to  theOrys- 
N'apier,  the 
and  navy, 
^ded.    The 
were  filled 
ners,  with 
«e  was  the 
iheprooes- 

mbly-that 
38  wais  de- 
'elegraph. 
aid  to  the 


A 


■S     i 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPH.       239 

'great  pith  an^  moment  *  as  to  command  the  attention 
and  at  the  same  timp  enlist  the  sympathies  of  all  man- 
kind.   In  aU  ages  warlike  expeditions  have  been  un- 
dertaken on  a  scale  of  grandeur  sufl&cient  to  astonish 
the  world;  but  the  evils  which  are  inseparable  from 
their  prosecution  have  always  sent  a  thrill  of  horror 
through  the  anxious  nations.    TKe  discovery  of  the  -• 
"Western  continent  even,  the  grandest  event  of  mqdem- ' 
times,  waa  made  by  an  insignificant  fleet  which  left  the 
shores  of  Portugal  without  attracting  the  notice  of  the 
civilized  world.    Far  different  has  Seen  the  history  of 
Jbe  daring  and  diflicult  enterprise  of -imiting  the  Old 
World  and  the  Ne,w  by  means  of  the  electric  tele- 
graph.    From  the  very  outset  the  good,'  thes»great 
and  the  wise  of  all  lands  beneath  thejun,  have  watched, 
with  intense  anxiety,  and  even.when  doubt  existed, '. 
withwanli  interest,  every  step  taken,  toward  the 'ac- 
complishment of  what  was  universally  acknowledged 
to  be  the  mo#  moflientous  undertaking  of  an  age  made 
marvellous^-by  .wonderful  scientific  and  mechanical 
achievements.    The  two  greatest  knd  freest  nations  of 
the  globe,  by  independent  cgnstitutional  legation,, 
and  by  the  aid  of  their  finest  ships  and  their  ablest 
Offioefs  and  engineers,  combined  together  to  insure 
Buocess.  ,  Capital  was  liberally  subscribed  by  private 
citizens  in  a  spirit  which  put  greed  to  the  blush.   The 


I- 


i 


i?w*yir  Ixjifr  Bidesxxf  Tiwi^lta  the  cte^ 


m^^ 


y  •.''• 


:S»'..'' 


,♦. 


II  (v: 


/ 


240. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANHO  TELEGRAPH. 


tells  of  the  progress  of  the  und^taking  with  cordial,- 
.interest,  and  secured  the  genferous  sympathies  of  men 

of  aU  kindreds  and,  tongues  and  nations  in  ifei  behalf 
Toil  were  thus  fortunate,  lir,'in  being  identified  with 

a  project  of  such  magnificent  proportions  and  univer- 
sal concern.    But  the  enterprise  itself  was  no  less  for* 
;      tunate  in  being  projected  and  carried  inio  execution 
by  a  man  wh(wi  no  obstacles. could  daunt,  no  disasters  > 
.    discourage,  no  doubts  paralyze,  no  opposition  disheart- 
en.    If  you,  to  whom  the  conduct  of  this  great  enter-  " 
pnse  was  assigned  by  the  will  of  Providen'ce  and  the 
judgment  of  your  fellow-men,  had  been  found  wanting 
m  courage,  in  energy,  in  determination,  and  in  a  &ith 
that  was  truly  sublime,  the  veiy  grandeur  of  the  un- 
dertaking  would  only  have  rendered  ite  failure  the 
more  conspicuous.    But,  sir,  the  incidents  of  the  exwj. 
dition,  and  the  final  result-too  ^miliar  to  all  the 
world  to  need  repetition  here-have  demonstrated  that 
you  possessed  all  the  qualities  essential-to  achieve  a  suc- 
cessful issue.    It  is  for  this  reason  that  you  now  stand 
out  from  among  your  fellow-men  a  mark  for  their  cor  ' 
dial  admiration  and  grateful  applause.    The  cify  of 
.your  home  delights  to  honor  you;  your  feUow-citizens. 
wnscious  that  the  gloiy  of  your  success  is  reflected 
back  upon  them,  are  proud  that  your  lot  has  been  cast 
among  them.    They  have  already  testified  their  appre* 
.  ttatioa  <^  yoor  great  aervioes  and  heroio  pei^^x 


\.' 


"^sfesSf^M^ 


/^k%<k-^ 


.   V- 


f^^nA'-'^^^xiff^^^^'^i^^r,^^" '''^  ^  ^  "*  * '  fr-,'sV."''  ''/"'''^{i-^  ^j""/; 


^tcv, 


f- 


VHISTOBY  of  the  ATLANTIO  TELEaBAPH.      241 

by  illuminations,  processions,  serenades,  and  addrestees. 
And  now,  sir,  the  mynicipal  government  of  this,  the 
first  city  on  the  "Western  continent,  instruct  me,  who 
have  never  felt  the  honor  of  being  its  chief  magistrate^. 
BO  sensibly  as  in  the  presence  of,  this  vast  assemblage" 
of  its  fair  women  and  substaj^tial  citizens,  to  present  to 
you  a  gold  box,  with  the  arms  of  tbe  city  engraved 
thereon,  in  testimony  of  the  fact  that  to  you  mainly, 
under  Divine  Providence,  the  world  is  indebted  for 
the  successful  execution;  of  the  grandest  enterprise  of 
our  day«nd  generation;  and  in  behalf  of  the  Mayor,  ' 
Aldermeu,  and  Commonalty  of  the  city  of  ^ew- York, 
I  now  request  your  acceptarice  of  this  token  of  their 
approbation.   In  conclusion,  sir,  of  this,  the  most  a^ee- 
able  duty  of  my  public  life,  I  sincerely  trust  that  your 
days  may  be  long  in  the  land,  and  as  prosperous  and 
honorable  as  your  achievement  in  uniting  the  two 
hemispheres  by  a  chord  of  electric  communication  has 
been  successful  and  glorious." 
To  this  flattering  address,  Mr.  Field  replied  : 
"  Sir  :  This  will  be  a  memorable  day  in  my  life ;  not 
only  because  it  celebrates  theisuccess  of  an  achieve-  . 
ment  with  which  my  name  is  connected,  but  because 
the  honor  comes  from  the  city  of  my  home  — the 
metropoUtan  city  of  the  new  world.    I  see  here  not 
only  the  civic  authorities  and  citizens  at  large,  but  „ 
mj  own  personal  friends   men  with  whom  I  have— 


been  connected  in  business  and  friendly  intercouree 


,  .^ 


'■iXi)  '^ 


4 


^*1 


242 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANKO  TM^EGRAPH. 


v.- 


for  the^gfeater  p»rt  of  my  life  mye  weeks  ago,  thi. 
4|7  and  hour.  I  wa^standing  on  the  deck  7t  the' 
,  N««ara,  m  mid-ooean,  with  the  Goigon  and  Valor- 
oua  .n  aght,  waiting  for  the  Agamemnon.  The  day 
™  eold  and  cheerless  the  air  wa«  misty,  a,d  th, 
wmd  roughen^the  sea,  and  when  1  thought  of  ^ 
that  we  had  ^SSS«i  through-of  the  hopes V  &, 

ofTrri'f  *''""'^  «>ddenedbyour«,erses. 
of  the  few  that  remained  to  sustain  us-I  felt  a  I„ad 
at  my  heart  almost  too  hea^y  to  bear,  though  my  con- 
fldence  was  firm,  and  my  determination  fixed.  How 
rZlr  ^'  ""^  before  m^this  vast  crowd 
ottlt^i  f  7;W»%  and  approval,  praises  with- 
out;  stmt,  and  Ihends  without  number  I    This  occa- 

■  *°°',  ""•  S""*  ""  the  opportunity  to  express  my 
thanksjor  the  enthnsiastio  ^ceptiTn  wlu^  TCe 
received,  and  I  here  make  my  acknowWgmentsTL 
fore  thjs  vast  eoncom^  of  my  fellow-citi^    To  the 
ladies  I  may,  perhaps,  add,  that  they  have  had  their 
app™?"''"  Plac^  for  when  the  cable  was  laid,  the 
tot  pubho  message  that  passed  over  it  came  'ftom 
one  of  thar  own  sex.    This  box,  sir,  which  I  hava 
the  honor  to  receive  toin  your  hand,  shall  testify  to 
n.e  and  to  my  chUdren  what  my  own  city  thinks  of 
my  acts.    »or  your  kindnes^  sir,  expressed  U  such 
flattonna  too  flatt<^  torm^  and  for  the  kiij„e«, 
o^^myfeUow;,,^;;^!^,  f 


thanks.^ 


t    -  * 


'h'J  ■ 


'i:^:. 


.  HISTOET  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TBIiEGEAPH.       248 

i!hh  enthusiasm  with  which  this  address  was  re. 
ceived  reached  its  hei^hf^  %hen  at  the  close,  Mr 
Field  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  platform,  and 
unroUing  a  despateh,  heldjt  up,  sajriug:  "Gentte-^en, 
I  have  just  received  a  telegraphic  message  from  a  little 
village,  now  a  suburb  of  New-York^  which  I  will  read 
to  you: 

"London,  September  1,1868, 
"  To  Cyrus  W.  Field,  New- York : 

« The  directors  are  on  their  way  to  Valentia,  to 
make  arrangements  for"  opening  the  line  to  the  pub- 
lic. They  xjonvey,' through  the  cable,  to  you  and 
yoi^  fellow-citizens,  their  hearty  congratulations  and 
good  wishes,  and  cordiaUy  sympathize  in  your  jov- 
<>«s  c^ebtati^^tjfTE^^tl  international  work^ 

A  gold  medal  was  presented  to  Captain  Hudaon. 
with  an  address,  to  which  he  m^e  a  fitting  reply. 
Similar  testimonials  were  presented  to  all  the  English 
captains  through  Mr.  Archibald,  the  ]?ritish  Consul, 

^  The  hlBtory  of  tUa  despatch  ig  ourioua.  Though  dated  at  Lou. 
don,  It  was  sent  from  a  BmaU  town  in  Irehnd.  TKe  directors  were 
on  their  way  from  Dublin  to  Valentia,  on  the  morning  of  the  iirst 
of  September,  when  Mr.  Saward  remarked:  "This  is  the  day  of  the 
celebration  in  New-TorlE~we  ought  to  send  a  despatch  to  Mr.  Held." 

Aocordtogly^  at  the  first  stoppfag-plaoe,  (we  think  it  was  Mallow    Sta. 
tlon,)  the  message  was  writteiV4nd  forwarded  to  Valentia^  and  thence 


ttw  A*lantior-^t  wir  |»r  Inlo  Mr.  IW^^  hand  jqrtti  bq 
.  fM  gettbg  tato  his  carrii^  on  the  Battwy.  ' 


^   1 


*'l 


^ 


I'^sssJ'^ 


./ 


' •^'■"  >   *''^ 


C^^^s^       ^*  _     .'jx^'i/-'     •■ 


-     k. 


m  ^ 


«2  -&  "  \^^^  "S^Wt 


244     msTOBY  Of  the  AXLAsria  TELsaRApfi.      / 

who  replifed  fpr  his  absent  coimtrymen,  after  whioh; 
the  whole  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  as  the  band 
pkyed  "  God  save  the  Queen." 

It  was  long  after  dark  when  the  exerdses  dosed, 
and  the  vast  multitude  dispersed. 

The  night  witnessed  one  of  those  displays  for  which 
New-York  surpass  all  the  cities  «>f  the  world — a 
firemen's  torchlight  processidn — a  display  such  as  was 
afterward  given  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  but  which  we 
shall  probably  witness  no  more,  since  the  Volunteer 
Fire  Department  is  disbanded.  /.  j 

Butyone  day  did  not  exhaust  the  public  enthusiasm. 
The  'next  evening,  a  grand  banquet  was  given  by  the 
city  authorities,  at  which  were  present  a  great  number 
of  distinguished  guests.    Lord  Napier  spoke,  in  lan- 
guage as  happy  as  it  was  eloquent,  of  the  new  tie  that 
was  formed  between  kindred,  dwelling  on  opposite- 
sides  of  the  sea,  and  awarded  the  highest  praise  to  the 
one  whom  he  recognized  as  the  author  of  this  great 
achievement.    Mr.  Field  repH^d,  modestly  disdaim- 
ing  the  "  too  much  honor "  ttiat  was  heaped  upon 
lorn,  saying  that  it  did  not  belong  to  him  alone>^  ind 
seemed  most  anxious  to  do  full  justice  to  all,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic,  who  had  shared  in  the  great- 
work.  -  J 
•  Ofdourae,  wehavenowishtorecalUhfliwfaded^ 


^''' 

^^gmg^ 

■■■||K 

'•  ]\' 

V 

IfPHft 

1 

w^^^ 

\{-'t. 

'■'f-  X  ■  '/ 

% 

-  '  r'- 

'%:■'■ 

•\    «• 

- 

--■':■   f. 

.\ 

* 

df  tl 

»'       '.  ' 

(     any 

-  -.    . 

u%  v 

pnt 

tivities,  or  to  reheaise  all  the  sentiments  and  speechei 


•'^' 


*  4 


Jt 


I  [  /       «.  it't:^f^-'  ■»"  tfj-^i..  4jj;^|«7i\;«"- 


,^^ 


V- 


«       mSTOBT  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLBGBAPH.     t845 

\  ^    ■    ' 

bf  that  night  of  Kooicing.  It  is  beyond  ih6  power  of 
any  artist  to  reproduce  «uch  a  carnival,  for  hetyannot 
put  on  canvas  the  spirit  of  the  a(»ne.  Even  in  try- 
ing to  recall  it  now,  Ive  feel  '     .    ^  ■•    - 

Uke  009  who.treaclfl  aloM  ^ 

Some  banquebJiall  deserted.  . 

Since  then,  years  have  pa^ed,  and  ^he  shouts  and 
cheers  that  rang  in  that  hall  have  died  away  to  an 
echo.  Speakers  and  actors,  many  of  them,,  have 
pasae^^'  from  the  earth.  Happy  is  it  if  we  may  say, 
tha^he  vrork  which  they  celebrated,  remains. 

Thile  these  demonstrations  continued,  every  oppos- 
/ing  voice  was  hushed  in  the  chorus  of  national  rejoic- 
ing; yet  some  there  were,  no  doubt,  who  looked  on 
\nth  silent  envy  or  whispered  ^detraction.    But  who 
ooiild  grudge  these  honors  to  the  hero  of  the  hour — 
honors  so  hardly  won,  and  which,  as  it  prov<id,  were 
-   soon  to  give  place  to  harsh  censures  and  unjust  impu- 
%   tations? 

Alas  for  all  human  glory  I  Its  paths  lead  but  to 
the  grave.  Death  is  tiie  end  of  humaa  iambition. 
That  very  day  that  a  whole  oity.^os0  up  to  do 
honor  to  the  Atlantic  Telegrapb  and  its  author,  ifr 
gave  its  last  throb,  and  that  first  cable  was  thence- 
fortb  to  Sleep  for  ever  silent  in  its  ocean  grave. 


^m'! 


X 


i 

y 

,  1 
t 

i 

jf©*^T 

•  f  *■ 

\ 

•• 

.-1  " 
4H. 

■*"• 

0~ 


:  \ 


'>'?+' 


ft  ^--^ 


OffAPTEBXIL 

Grxv.  SusnoioNfl  or  ^^b  Fi^im     Dii>  th.  Oabu,  ,tk  Woaf 
.  DioisiTi  Prpof. 

.  ,  y^  \  -    '  ^ 
'  ^HE  ATLAimO  OaS-B  WAS  DEAD  I  .  O^afc  word' M 
heavy  aa  a  stone  on  the  hearts  of  those  who  had  st^ed 
so  much  upon  it    What  a  ^ter  disappointment  to 
.     their  hopes  I    In  all  the  experience  of  Jif^  there  are  no 
..sadder  momenta  than  those  in  which^'after  years  of 
anxious  toil,  striving  for  a>eat  o^ect,  and  after,  one 
-  supreme  moment  of  oon^tjuauccess,  the  fruit  of  aU 
these  labors  becomes  a  total  wreck.   -V^  is  all  hu- 
man toU  and|ndeavor.    The  yeatrsifhus  spe^t  are  fled 
away;  the  lali^  that  was  to  Have  bomestich  rich 
..  fruits  of  «lory,  is  lok>^ind  the  prolonged  tension  of 
^e  mind  by,^e  excitetoeiitof  hbpe  and  ambition,  and 
fi€  momentary  „(kei«n  of  ^ucc^  kScU  io  plunge  it 
into  a  deeper  depression.  ;  So  was  it  hero.    Years  of 
labor  and  mUlions  of  capital  were  swept  away  m-a^ 
hour  mto  the  Bosom  of  thepitUess  s^^     "         -  '^^ 

Of  course  the  reaction  of  the  public  mii3^  Very 
gt^t    Aa  its  elation  had  ^  .     »  ^ 


11// 


4  V 


t>   ' 


?* 


ffV 


", 


i' 


>'• 


^ 


mSTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGKAPff.       247 

it  was  now  silent  amd  e^imosb  sullen.  People  were' 
.  itehamed  of  their  late  ^^1^^^,  and  disposed  to  re- 
— '(feage  themsdves  on  iJ^^^^^ad  been  the  objects 
of  their  idolatry.  It  ^l^l^^^e  to  read  the  papers 
of  the  day.  As  so<;|nas^pg^dent  that  th€^ Atlan- 
tic cable  was  a  dead  lionj  many  hastened  to  give  it  a 
pairting  lack.  .  There  was  no  longer  any  dispute  as  to 
who  was  the  author  of  the  grqat  achievement  Bival 
claimants  quietly  withdrew  from  the  field,  Content  to 
leave  him  ."alonq  in  his  glory,"  *" 

„  Many  explanations  were  off^ed  of  this  sudden  sus- 
pension of  life.  One  writer  argued  that  the  Telegra- 
phic Plateau  was  only  a  myth ;  that  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  was  jagged  and  precipitous ;  and  that  the  cable 
passed  over  lofty  mountain  chains,  and  had  hung  sua- 
•■^hded  jax)m  the  peaks  of  submarine  Alps|[^|  broke 
and  felTsinto  the  tremendous  depths  below.^^**  ' 

J^ui^^^ters  found  a  readier  Explanation.  "Wttlr  the 
^^*aral  tendency,  of  a  popular  excitement  to  rush  from 
caw  extreme  to  the  other,  many  now  believed  that 
the  whole  thing  was  an  imposition  on  public  credu- 
lity, a  sort  of  "  Moon  hoax  "  or  a  gigantic  speculation. 
An  elaborate  article  appeared  in  a  Bostbn  paper,  , 
headed  with  the  alarming  question,' "  ^as  the  Atlan-^ 
tic  cable  a  humbug?"  wherein  the  writer  argued 
through  several  oolunms  that  it  waa  a  huge  deception. 
—Ar-vwileHa  att  English  paper  tSsKywB^^maefy-uS  i6b~"^ 


1' 


#*# 


>*, 


•^- 


'•/.., 


'5h :  9 


B 


% 


Llf 


k' 


li?  v' 


r 


243      HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TBLSORAPH. 

celebration  in  Dublin,  where  a  banquet  was  given  to 
Sir  Chai;les  Bright,  in  an  article  bearing  the  ominous 
title;  -  Very  like  a  whale  I"    This  writer  proved  not 
only  that  the  Atfantic  cable  was  never  laid,  but  that 
such  alhing  was  mathematicallj  impossible.    But  since 
he  turned  out  to  be  k  crazy  fellow,  whom  the  police 
had  to  take  int^  custody,  his  «  demonstrations"-  did 
not  make  much  impression  on  the  pubHc.    The  diffi- 
culty of  finding  a.  motive  for  the  perpetration  of  such  a 
stupendous  fraud,  did  not  at  all  embarrass  these  inge- 
mous  writers.    Was  it  not  enough  to  make  the  world 
stare?  to  furnish  something  to  the  gaping  crowd,  even 
though  It  were  but  a  nine  days'  wonder  ?    Those  who 
thus  reasoned  seemed  not  to  reflect  that  such  decep- 
tions are  always  sure  to  be  found  out;  that  one  who 
goes  up  like  a  rocket  may  come  down  Hke  a  stick; 
and  that  if  by  false  means  he  ^as  made  himself  ab  ob- 
jeot.x)f  popular  idojatxf,  he  is  likely  to  become  the 
object  of  popular  ia^jgnation. 

But  others  there  were— sharp,  sTirewd  men—who 
thought  they  could  see  through  a  mill-stone  father 
than  tbeii  neighbors,  who  shook  their  heads  with  a 
knowing  air,  and  said :  "It  was  all  a  stock  specula- 
tion."  due  writer  stepped  before  the  public  with  this 
solemn  inquiry ;.  "  Now  that  the  great  cable  ^lorifloa- 
tion^  ove|,  we^^^Wld  like  to  ask  one  questiSn,  " 
y  sharea  of  his  Jhck  did  Mr.  Keld  seU  durin. 


tion 
many 


How 


thsL 


T 


■M 


^' 


ffrV-" 


A     l-i'KL  ,  '^\  k^li(^  ni^i..i^iM^'^iU.tl^^^l^ij^\!^^   ^^j^fci*J,^j'w  Ai*'_j?*^   j^.-«WU.  -   t"     -iM/M 


'^f^>r-\^^^''^^<^^^^^^^0^^^^^ 


y-ff-P" 


.     I       , 


P* 


HISTORT  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAMI. 


249 


month  of  August?"    This  he  evidently  thought  was  a 
questipn  which  could  not  be  answered,  except  by  ac- 
knowledging  a  great  imposition  on  the  public.    If  this 
brilliant  inquirer  a%  truth  really  desired  to  be  in- 
formed, we  could  have  referred  him  to  MessrsT  George 
Peabody  &  Co.,  of  London,  with  whom  was  deposited 
all  of  Mr.  Field's  stock\t  the  time,  and  who,  during 
that  memorable  month  of  August,  sold  just  one  share, 
and  that  at  a  price  below  the  par  value,  which  was 
^    paid^by  Mr.  Field  himself.    Whether  this  was  ^n  ob- 
ject sufficiently  great  to  set  two  hemispheres  in  a  blaze, 
.  we  leave  him  to  judgf .  . 

To  those  who  have  foUowed  this  narrative,  aU  these  ' 
conjectures  and  suspicions  will  appear  very  absurd. 
These  personal  reflections  we  would  treat  with  coh-  U- 
tempts  as  a  man  of  char^ter  always  scorns  an  imputa- 
faon  on  his  personal  honor.     But  while  we  despise 
these  anonymous  scribblers,  as  they  deserve,  yet  we 
recognize  the  fact  that  many  honest  people  not  dis- 
posed to  think  evil  were  sorely  perplexed.    That  the 
cable  should  continue  to  work  for  three  or  four  weeks 
and  then  stop  the  very  day  of  the  eel<^tim,  was  a  cir' 
cimistanoe  certainly  very  singular,  if  not  suspicious  • 
and  It  was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  that  it  should  excite 
a  pamM  feeling  of  doubt.    This  distrust  is  quite  na- 
tural,  and  ought  not  to  be  matter  ^th.r  nf  .ff,^,,  ^, 


•Qipnae.  On  the  oontraiy,  those  who  are  fully  satisfied 


"■*!':i-aV»i»' 


^^m 


•'I    ■'■:,/■:.-. 


"is^Li'   . 


,,j«;^»i|HC^«i^ 


;^,»-T»>ff  .'(i-^iij-f^^M^-^.iF,"- . 


Ft 


S.-'^^H 


IJ 


~'i 


4— 


^,. 


SI 

«  4 


p^f -t^-r'*-!?; 


260       HISTPBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAtfl. 

of  the  fects,  ought  rather  to  be  glad  of  the  opportunity 
Vfhich  such  questions  aflPord,  to  present  in  full  the  am- 
plest  vindication. 

To  answer  all  inquiries,  we  propose  to  give  a  very 
brief  histbiy  6f  the  working  of  the  Atlantic  cable.    It 
was  landed  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean  on  the  fifth  of 
August    The  last  recorded  message  passed  over  it  on 
the  first  of  September,  one  day  short  of  four  weeka 
Within  that  time  there  were  sent  ejcaotly  four  hun- 
dred  messages,  of  which  two  hundred  and  seventy-one 
were  from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  from  Ireland  to  ITewfoundland.    Of 
these,  the  greater  part  were  merely  between  the  opera- 
•     tors  themselves,  respecting  the  adjustment  of  instm- 
ments,  and  working  the  telegraph,  which,  while  they 
furnished  decisive  evidence  to  them,  are  of  no  force  to 
the  public.    Of  course  an  operator,  working  with  a 
battery  on  the  shore  at  Valentia,  or  at  Trinity  Bay, 
watching  his  instrument^  and  seeing  the  spark  of  light'' 
tieeds  no  other  evidence  of  an  electric  current  that  has 
passed  thrgugh  the  cable.    He  sees  it,  and  knows,  as 
^  If  he  saw  the  flash  of  a  gun  on  the  coast  of  Ireland, 
^ .;;  that  it  is<^  light  which  has  come  from  beyond  the  sea. 

Wien  he  heara  the  fenliliar  click,  he  knows  that  it  is  f 
-  a  voice  whispering  to  him  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  wa- ' 
„  .ters.    But  these  are  of  no  value  to  the  public  as  deoid- 
ing  the  fact  of  actual  oommnnioqiMon.    What  they 


'»' 


\. 


Jfe-A- 


.,t.a 


.-(" 


f 


~\7' 

if'     > 


HISTOBY  O^THE  ATLA^IO  tIlEGRAP] 


'H.     261 


need  is  public  messi^es, 


,      .      -  -=-'  conveying  news  from  one 

hemisphere  to  the  other.    Of  ihese,  there  were  not  a 
great  Hmnber,  for  obvious  reasons*  The  cable,  dur- 
ing the  four  weeks  of  ife  existence,  never.worked 
I^Jecay-that  is,  as  a  land  line  works,  transmitting 
messages  freely  and  rapidly,  and  with  perfect  accu- 
,  racy.    It  worked,  but  slowly,  and  with  frequent  inter- 
.;    ruptions^  for  reasons  w^i^  we  wiU  state,  and  which, 
we  thmk,  will  satisfy  any  one  that  the  wonder  is 
not  that  it  did  so  little,  but  that  it  did  so  much    ' 
1.  To  begin  with,  the  cable  was  not  constructed  iS 
the  most  perfect  manner.    Ite  makers,  though  the  best 
; .  then  m  the  world,  had  had  ],ut  little  experience  in 
making  deep-sea  cables.    No  iine  over  three  hundred  ' 
miles  long  had  ever  been  laid.    2.  ^  had  been  made 
more  than  a  year  before.    After  it  #as  finished,  part  of 
It  had  been  coiled  out  of  dqors,  where  it  was  exposed  to 
a  burmng  sun,  by  ^hich,  as  was  afterward  found,  the 
gutte-percha  had  been  melted  in  many  places  tiU.  the 
insulation  waa  nearly  destroyed.    8.  I#had  been  put 
on  board  the  ships  in  1857,  and  after  the  first  feitere 
had  been  taken  out  and  coUed  on  the  dock  at  Ply- 
mouth, and  then  re-shipped  in  1858.     Thus  it  had 
been  twisted  and  untwisted,  some  portions  of  it  as 
many  as  ten  times.    Then  the  half  on  board  the  Aga- 
memnon  was  so  shaken  in  the  terrible  ^ale  nf  .Ti^Tift, 


te  it  was  seriously  injured,  and  some  portions 


wer« 

4f 


U'- 


m^^^iir^4^4-Si  ■■■^•>- 


It     ?5»"^*^ir' 


262 


iir 


¥• 


1- 


«,.-»•'  1 


■'^K^' 


mSTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TBLEaBAPH. 


cut  out  and  condemned.  Take  aU  these  things,  toge. 
ther,  and  the.  wonder  i^  not  that  the  cable  failed  after- 
a  month,  Jwij  that  it  ever^worked  at  aU. 

Owingto  this  impaired  stite  of  the  cable,  we  admit 
fully  that  it  did  no^  work  perfectly.    Signals  came  and 
went,  which  showed  that  the  electric  current  passed 
fteeljf  from  shore  to  shore,  and  gave  promise  that 
with  more  delicate  katruments  it  could  be  taugto  to' 
speak  plainly.    But  for  the  present  it  spoke  slowly  ^ 
and  with  difficulty.    It  often  took  hours  to  get  through 
a  sm^e  despatch,  if  of  any  length.    Witness  the  de- 
glay  &  transmitting  the  Queen's  message.    These  fre- 
quent  interruptions  were  ascribed  to  various  causes. 
Sometimes  it  was  earth-currenta  j  at  others,  a  thunder- 
storm  was  raging.    Thus,  l3n  the  nioming  of  ThUrs.  - 
day,  the  twenty-sixth  ofAugust,  there  was  a  violent 
storm  m  Newfoundland,  heavy  rain,  accompanied  by 
thunder  and  lightning.   At  three  o'clock,  |he  lightning 
was  so  intense  that  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half  the 
end  of  the  cable  had  to  be  put  to  the  earth  for  protec- 
tion.  After  that  the  storm  cleared  away,  and  at  seven 
o'clock  the  weather  is  reported  as  being  very  fine.   But 
aside  fix)m  these  local  and  temporary  causes,  the  real 
difficulty  was  in  the  cable  itself  whose  insulation  had 

beeiifetally  impaired,  and  whicih  was  now  wearing  out 
Its  liife  on  the  rocks  of  the  sea.    These  causes  made  its 

JPgg>JLJ!icj^aPd  brokon.    Yetaomotimosit^flaahod 


'-  *••   f-«» 


.    I 


'"j,,- 


U:  ■ 


M^\^- 


,  ^*i*4 .  J I 


.4' 


KJijafc:, '  •..&i'.fc'.«BMite,ui^v:\ii8f.''j.'*3'; 


,'  /  '  1 


'^'-mfr  ""^'^? 


it  )• 


^ 


HISTORF  OF  THE  ATLANl^o  TELEGRAM.       258 

-  up  With  sudden  po^er.    Tim,  in  one  base,  a  message 
was  sent  from  the  office  at  Trinity  Bay  to  Ireland  and 
an  answer  received  back  in  two  minutes.    $uch  ino?- 
dente  excited  the  liveliest ,  hopes  that  all  difficulties 
would  be  sf,eedily  overcome,  and  justified  I  the  mes- 
;  sages  which  were  sbnt  to  the  New-York  pabera  from 
day  to  day;  that  the  instr^imente  were  being  adjusted 
by  which  It  was  expected:^hat  the  line  would  soon  be 
put  m  perfect  working  order,  and  be  thrown  open  to 
the  public.    But  these  flashes  of  light  proved  to  be 
only  the  flickering  of  the  flame,  that  was  soon  to  be 
extinguished  in  the  eternal  darkness  of  the  waters  i 

But  Ahe  question  which  the  enemies  of  the  Atlantic 
.Telegraph  have  chosen  to  raise  is,  not' whether  the    ' 
cable  worked  fast  or  slow,  but  wheth^  it  ever  work^jM 
aU.    Happily,  this  is  a  question  which  can  easi^ 
settled,  since  it^oni«ifnply  effects  and  dates,  which 

can  be  ascertained  by  referi^g  to  the  files  of  the  Eng.    ' 
ish  and  American  papers,    (^urae  what  we  ask  in 
this  case  IS  messages  conlifening  new;,.   Mere  c<|toatula-«' 
tions  hetween  the  Queen  and  the  fi^i^en^  the 
Mayor  of  New-York  and  the  Mayor  of  London,  prove 
nothing,  for.  ti,ese  might  be  prepared  beforehand,  if     ' 
we  suppose  a  design  to  impose  on  the  credulity  of  Ihd 
public.  But  the  decisive  test  is  this.-  Was  thbre  af' 
any  tune  within  that  month  published  in  the  Epffli^h 


—vrAmnm-  journals  news  which  could  not  be 


7     ■* 


•i 


mat* 


^ 


~Jmii„ »v  i4^ivt A-^io)i 


.iMiilllli : 


SS*>^.  -■amias«aBUfca,.tea««».. 


HII^TORT  OP  T; 


,.'  -m-^.. 


,^:^ 


ilKiialiii  and  withika 
for,  it^  pos 


'«V    •. 


•■!' 


^  jaaort  .,€ 
'an«missiii9n  voc  any  ot wr'tllXT ;i Wt 
beyq^d^^all  doubt,,  e' 

rCte^idied,  for  the  argdment;  iieii 
ieji  cases  as  with  a  thousand. ' 
few  dates,  the  accurac^©f  which 

,   -  ^  ft  .'  ■■ 

¥>y:8SJfy'0ne  who  will  take  the  ^uble  to 
line  tl^e  Englisl^  ^nd  American  papers :  ^$f^ 
On  Saturday,  the  fourteenth  of  August,  th^team-, 
Arabia  and  Europe  the  former  bound  for i^aiJ'ew- 
yon|  and  the  lattet  for  Liverpool,  came  into  comsion 
^  •.#< .  off  Oape  Eace.    The  accident  was  not  known  i^  this 
city  until  Tuesday,.',th6  seventeenth^  sinc^  it  could  not^ 
be  telegraphed  here  till  the  Arabia  reached  Halifax  or 
the  Europa  St;  John's,  into  which  por^she  put  for  re- 
pairs^   As  sdonas  ^)ie  news  reached  New- York,  the 
Agent  of  the  Company,  Mr.  Nimmo,  (Mr.  Cunard  him- 
^elf  l?eiDg  then  in  England,)  at  once  prepared  a  des- 
patch to  be  sent  to  relieve  immediate  aiixiety..    This 
was  not  forwarded  to  Newfoundland,  as  peremptory 
orders  bad  been  given  not  to  transmit  any  privt^e  bu- 
siness ihessages  to  go  through  the  cable  until 
was  fully  open  to  the  public.    But  the  neitj 
Field  arrived  l^ew-York,  and  Mr.> 
to  him,    Se€(|qp||^e  urgency  of  the 
to  be  forwarded.    It  w^'accorditiglyser 
I^London  on  the  twentieth,  giving  the  fii 


,'/;'■. 


:^^<^ 


■  I 


■ilf!   ■.., 


•»■ 


^,k,^& 


;■ 


K 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH.       256 

waa  receivea  of  the  accident  This  was  repeatedly 
stated  by  the  late  Sir  Samuel  Cunard,  of  London,  and 
^.^confirnaed  by  Mr.  Edward  Cunard,  of  S^ew-York. 
The  message  was  published  in  the  London  papers  of 
the  tw^ty-first,  and  is  as  follows :  ^^  . 

(     "  AraHa  in  collision  with  Europa,  Cape  Eace,  Satur- , 
'day.  Arabia  on  her  way.    Head  slightly  injured.    Eu- 
ropa lost  bowsprit,  cutwater ;  stem  sprung.     Will  re-  . 
main  in  .St.  John's  ten  days  from'  sixteenth.    P^reia 
calls  at  St  Joha's  for  mails  and  passengers.    No  loss 
of  life  or  limb."  .*^ 

.  Tliis  first  news  message  was  not  only  a  veiy  decisive 
one  as  to  the  'fad  of  telegraphic  communication,  but 
one  which  showed  the  benefits  which  it  would  con- 
ifer.   Mr.  WiUiam  E.  Dodge,  a  well-known  merchant 
.  of  New-TTork,  says :  « I  was  in  Liverpool  at  the  time, 
and  expecting  friends  b^t^ie  Europa.    Any  delay  in  the 
arrival  of  the  ship  would  have  caused  great  anxiety.    ■ 
But  one  morning,  on  going  down  to  the  Exchange,  we 
saw  postedup  thi^|)atch  received  the  night  befob     ' 
by  #^^t^ticn'^t^.    All  then  said  if  the  cable    . 
letel  did  any  thiii|imOTe;it  had  ftdly  rep^d  its  cost'*     ' 
jT^ell  may  Madd  with  devo|t  feeling:  "It  seethed 
as  if  Divine  I^videnbe  had  permitfed  Melv^t^to" 
fomish  a  testimony  which  coijd  not  he  denied,  t<{  the 
paUty  *nd  the  bene^t  of  ^iVnew  ifeans  of  commtini^ '  / 
mtipn  between  the  tVi^watilw^ij»^*- 


.J-i 


■  ^  m 


'W 


-■s-t*. 


t^i^-^ 


'.'» 


r 


■f 


266       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 

H  Passing  over  all  the  messages  exchanged  between 
opdl-ators  at  the  stationfa,  the  congratulations  of 
id  President,  and  <rf*the  Mayors  of  New- York  . 
and  Londo^^^^E^oome  to  another  news  despatch  f  Au- 
gust twenty-fifth,  Newfoundland  reports  to  Valentia;/ 
"  Persia  takes  Europa's  passengers  and  mails.  Great 
rejoicing  everywhere  at  succ^  of -cable.    BoMres, 
.  fireworks, /ez/as  dejoie,  speeches,  balls,  etc.,  Mr.  Eddyy 
,  the  frst  and  heU  telegrapher  m  the  jState^,  died  to-day. 
Pray  give  some  news  for  New- York ;  they  are  mad 
■  for  news." 

lu  the  above  despatch,  we  remark  especially  one 

item,  the  death  of  Mr.  Eddy,  an  announcement  which 

the  writer,  who  Vaa  then  in  Europe,  read  first  iMhe 

'  London  Times,  and  which  arrested  his  attention,  as  hft 

had  SQme  acquaintance  with  that  gentleman.*    Those 

•  Mp.  Jame0  Eddy  died  suddeidy,  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  Monday, 
August  twenty-third,  1888,  at  ten  o'cldck,  fifteen  'minutes  a.k.  Tlie 
exact  day  and  hour  we  le»m  from  his  widow,  who  is  now  living  in 
Brooklyn.  The  news  was  telegraphed  to  New-York,  and  from  ^here 
sent  to  Trinity  Bay,  from  which  it  was  forwarded  to  Valentia,  ^id 
appeared  In  the  London  Times  Wednesday  morning.  Thus  not  forty- 
dght  hours  had  elapsed  'after  he  breathed  Us  last,  before  it  was  ^ib- 
lished  in  England.  If  awy  one  ^hes  to  see  the  despatch,  he  will  ,find 
*  ffle  of  the  London  T^QI^  iu  the  Astor  Library.  f  '  ;        ^^ 

F.  S.— Slight  discrepancies^are  sometimes  the  strongest  possible 
oenfirmation  of  truth,  as  they  show  that  there  was  no  thought  of 
imposition.    One  of  these  appefu-s  here.    The  despatch  Is  dated  August- 


,   4' 


m- 


twcaty-ffla, "and  says  Hr.  Eddy  l^to^,^  and  yet  it  is  priblished 


/. 


.*    ■» 


I  «.!*•►' 


„— •• 


,        * 


'  i»  I'^'Ht  •^gr'/i>i"  "* 


H' 


J 


^s5Si* 


ll 


,..---""'^^^»^  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       257 

who  argue  so  strenuously  fbu,  the  thqojy  of  collusion 
and  deception,  must  be  somewhat  embarra^d  to  ac- 
count for  this.    Do  they  suppose  that  this  death  was 
a  matter  of  concert  and  design  ?  that  Mr.  Eddy  died 
on  thaf  day,  so  that  ^  message,  which  they  mast  assume 
to  have  been  sent  two  weeks  beforehand,  could  be 
proved  correct  ?    This  is  an  absurcjity  too  gross  even 
for  them,  yet  to  such  absurdities  are  they  reduced  by 
,  denial  that  authentic  messages  ever  passed  over  the 
Atlantic  cable.  ^?^     ■ 

To  the  demand  for  news  in  the  above  d^p^h,  a 
reply  was  at  once  returned:    "Sent  to  London  for 
news."    And  later  the  same  day  came  the  following : 
"North-American  with  Canadian,  and  the  Asia  with 
direct  Boston  mails,  leave  Liverpool,  and  Fulton, 
Southampton,  Saturday  next.    To-day's  morning  pa- 
pers have  long,  interesting  reports  by  Bright.    Indian 
news.    Thago  arrived  at  Liverpool  to^iayi  Bombay^ 
dates  nineteenth  July.  Mutiny  being  rapidly  quelled." 
-   4r4espatch  of  the  same  date,  August  25th,  also 
announces  peacp  with  China.     The  whole  was  re- 
ceived at  Trinity  Bay  about  nine  o'clpck  p.m.,  and 

^"^  **  J^B^  pnes  of  the  same  date.  How  b  this?  It  was  senfr 
hetweei^m  taid  ten  o'clock  at  night  of  the  twenty-fourth,  when  the 
operatOT^ould  say  ^Ats  day  of  a  piece  of  newa  just  received,  but  in 
affixing  thd  date,  he  was  ^eme<^  by  Ormiwie^  tim«,  which  made  it 


moretl 


BiUviUb  zftlfir«..~  ; 


Bmei, 


tin  th« ; 


^., 


1  August  twenty-fiflij,  fifty*three  nAnites  past  twelye  A.it 


'^ 


"^^' 


«*<T» 


\'Si 


%t>'0 


'.>■ 


%' 


■f-     !'*>," 


4.     '^'Jr 


-;^^ 


jf-v" 


HIS^BY  OF  TH|||gtjWWl»EI^BA|^'    \M 

V^  would  have  been  sent  on  at  once  to  New- York,  but 

,  f®pat  the  land  lines  in  Nova  Scotia  were  9Josed  at  tkat 

lour.    It  was  sent  the  next  morning,  and  appeared  in 

the  evening  papers  of  the  twenty-sixth.    " 

By  referring  again  to  the  London  Times,  the  reader 
will  see  that  the  news  from  China  was  published  iii 
London  on  the  twenty-third  of  August.    It  is  there 
giveiilas  very  unexpected  news,  so  that  it  could  not  h|tee 
been  a  shrewd  guess  on  the  part  of  any  body  either  in 
or  .^merica.    It  took  the  public  by  surprise, 
both  for ifee  news  itself  and  for  the  way  in  which  it 
came— whioli  was  not  by  India  and  the  Red  Sea,  bii^ 
'  :    by«  St.  Petersburg,  ^W^^  it  arrived,  oh  the  ttwenty- 
.  first,  havioff  beei^,  broil^t  pverl9,nS,i  %  a  courier  to 
Prince  Go^|akd|#  From  there  it  was  telegraphed 
Ur  the  Gp-ylnment  at  Paris,  and  thence,  to^^ndon. 
^  The  Times  C(^|i9|^ts  on  thifi^undabo^^iiway 4g  which 
intelligence  60'Mportant  jjeabSed  ^glaind.    ^t  tl|L8  • 
■  news,  so  unlboked„;for,  anncwjgjfe^jj  Lohdon  on^^ a 
y      the  morning  oftl^  t^gAv-third  ofi Augudt,  was  pub- 
^'    .,lighedinNe\<c-Yorko^it#nty-sixth.^   ^r         '  4, 
;$,  mi.  August  twenty-^enth,  comes  a  still  longer  des- 
patch, wliich  we  give  in  full :  "  George  Saward,  Secre- 
tary ^antic  Telegraph  Company,  to  Associated  Press^ 
New- York.  .  l^ewa  for  America  by  Atlantic  cable. 
Emperor  of  France  returned  to  Paris,  Saturday.  Kin^ 

nf  PmHiriii  fnn  ill  tn  vim*  Qnaftn  Vinfnria      f[^j.  Mtgcfl- 


4.- 


<^'^'0>X-  """*'  "•^'•^'i  "    "  't^^i '  •  '|i«|n  ■ 


m 


.-■^ 


%.■' 


M 


''"W*. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLAUtlO  TBLEGBAPH.      258- 

ty  returns  to  England  thirtiftth-of  lu^st—St.  Peters, 
burg,  twentj-firatof-^ugust.  Settlement. of  Chinese 
qu^tipji^ --Cianese  ei|)ire  opened  to  trade ;  Christiaa 
""feligion  allowed;  foreign  diplomatic  ageAts- admitted ; 
indeinnityto 'England  and  iVanca— Alexandria,  Au- 
gust ninth.  The  Madras  arrived  at  Suez  seventh  inst 
liate^  Bombay  to  the  nineteenth ;  Aden,  thirty-first  . 
G^alioj^  insurgent  army  broken  up.  All  India  be- 
coming tranquil." 

This  despatch  embodies  about  a  dozen  distinct  items 

of  news,  not  one  of  which  could  be^known  Without  a 

Apaphic  communication.    The  whole  was  received  ■ 

iHf^W'York,  and  published  in  the  evening  papers 
we  %ame  day. 

^,  Not  to  be  outdone  in  giving  news,  the  next- 
day,  Saturday,  August  twenty-eighth,  Newfoi  '^^'  '' 
Jhus  replies  to  Valentia : 

"  To  THE  DiBEOTOBS :  Take  news  first,  SawaWK^^ir 
William  Willian^s,  of  Ears,  arrived  Halifax  Tuesday. 
Enthusiastically  received.  Immense  procession— wel- 
cons^  address-^feeling  reply.  Held  levee— large  num- 
ber presented.  Niagara  sailed  for  laverpool  at  one 
this  morning.  The  Gorgon  arrived  at  Halifex  laat 
night.  Yellow  fever  in  New-Orleans,  sixty  to  seventy 
deaths  per  day.  Also  declared  epidemic,  Charleston. 
Great  preparations  in  New-York  and  other  pla^iea  for 


celebration,  to   be   held  the  flast  and  aeoond  of 


."yt    ..    , 


j^    v.. 


/"> 


•t^t^mm^mmiuimm^^ 


260      HI8T0BY  OF  THE  AThAJSmO  TmamEAKB, 

September.  .  New-Yorkera  will  make  it  the  greatest 
gala-day  ever  known  in  this  country.  Hermann  sailed 
for  Fraser's  Biver;  six  hundred  paasengera.  Prince, 
Albert  sailed  yesterday  for  Galway.  Arabia  and 
^riel  arrived  New-York;  Anglo  Saxon,  Quebec; 
Canada,  Boston.  Europa  left  St.  John's  this  morning,, 
Splendid  aurora  ^^y  of  Bulls  to-night,  extending  over 
eighty-five  degrees  of  the  horizon?' 

Let  any  one  examine  carefully  this  despatch,  con- 
sidering  the  minuteness  of  the  details— which  could 
not  be  knowii  or  coiyeclfcured— nauch  as  the  appearanoe 
of  yellow  fever  at  New-Orleains,  with  the  number  of 
deaths  aday ;  the  sailing  or  arrival  of  seven  steamera ; 
the  number  of  passengers  for  Fraser's  River,' etc.-— and 
then  examine  the  London  Times,  and  see  that  all  these 
items  appeared  in  it  Monday  morning,  August  thir- 
tieth, and  if  he  does  not  admit  that  collusion  or  decep- 
tion is  out  of  the  question,  no  amount  of  evidence 
could  convince  him.  .  •      . 

V.  We  will  give  but  one  proof  more.  On  the  last 
day  of  August,  the  day  before  the  cable  ceased  to 
work,  Valentia  sent  to  Newfoundland  two  messages 
for  the  British  Government,  both  signed  by  "the 
Mmtary  Secretary  to  the  Oommauder-in-Ohief,  Horee 
Guards,  London,'*  and  addressed—tlie  first  to  General 
Trollope,  Hali&x,  which  said,  "  The  sixty-second  regi. 
jnent  ia  not  to  retias  tft  Jugland  f'Laod  the  other  4»^ 


ppp^- 


I    ■  ■ . 


X 


t'         « 


HISTORY  OV  mH  ATUimo  TICLEGRAPH.      261" 

the  Qeieral  Officer  co'mmanding  at  Montreal,  saying: 
^  "The  Tfhirty^ninth  regiiiient  is  not  to  return  to  Eng- 
Maad"    This  wai  the  time  of  the  Sepoy  lebelUon,  and 
the  Gteteroment  hadsent  out  ordera  by^mirtl'for  these 
two  regiments. to  embark  immediately  for  home,  to  be 
sent  to  India.    Bu^  the  mutiny  being  nearly  suppress- 
ed,  this  was  Iband  n<^  to  be  necessary,  and  the  prompt 
^untermandin^  of  the  Wer  by  telegraph,  saved  the 
Bntiah  Government,  in  l^e  cost  of  transportation  of 
troops,  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  pounds.    The  des- 
patch  to  Hali&x  waa  reoeived  the  same  day  thair  it  was 
sent  from  London.    The^^nding  of  tliis  despatch,  and 
Its  alteost  immediate  reception,  is  attested  by  an  offi- 
oial  letter  from  the  Waif  Office  in  London. 

But  why  multiply  arguments  ?  The  facte  here 
given  are  accessible  to.  all  who  have  the  .candor  and  . 
the  patience  to  examine.  Let  any  man  take  the  files 
of  English  and  American  papers  issued  during  that 
■month  of  August,  an^^ompare  them  d^y  by  day  and 
If  he  is  not  1k>ro)5d^^  that  a  great  ^wtiber 
of  au^entic  mes84|g(j6sed  ov^  the  Athmtic  cable, 
he  w  beyond  the  reach  of  Immantestimonj^^^^H^  , 

woiieof'«iimmal51e  ignoranoe;"    Neither  ^^  t^  '. 
Uperauadedtboufi^^HM^^ttithe^^ 


VA»' 


'  / 

'    i.'i 


"•■\ 


C'^'h 


Hl 


¥  *  Vt^  »-''  v'^^^^ 


iv.  ■ 


■S- 


CHAPTEE  XfH. 

.        Ar^c^a  TO  REnr«  xhk  CoHP^t-PKo.oaKo  D^scoAaoemb^t-^ 

^X-IKS    TO  THE  GP..K.MENT  KOB  AXP,   WHIcS  BECUNES  TO  VrVE  AK 

^^.coNmxxoN^  G.^...._F,,,«,  ,,  ,^^  j,^^  g^^  Telko.^_ 
.    tone  ExPKaiMExxs-CBL^  ,.„  :«  ^,  MEi,i™ibi.N^  .ko  ' 

THE  PebSI^  G.LK_Er.ORXS  TO  RAISE  C^PXTAr,  XK  HXE  UnxtEP  StAXES 
AND  INJnolanD-BbIEF  HisTORT   OP  to  NEXT  FiTE'YeABS. 

*r  tekes  a  long  time  to  recover  from  a  great  dis- 
aster    When  at  last  the  friends  of  the..AtIantic  Tele- 
graph were  obliged  to  confess  that  the  cable  had  ceased 
towork;  whenanthe^effortsc^the  electricians  failed 
..    to  draw  more  than  a  /ew  faint  ^ispers,  ^  dying  gasp  ■ 
^VKfrom  tha  depths  of  the  sea,  there  ensued  in  the  public 
"•    mmd  a  feeHng  of  profound  discomgei^t.    For  ^   * 
;ti^e  this  paralyzed  all  effort  to  revive  the  Com^ny,. 
and  to  renew  the  enterprise.    And  yet  the  feeling '  ^ 
though  natural,  was  extreme.  ;if  they  had  notdoni^ 
all  they.attempted,  they  had   adbomplished  much. 
■  They  had  at  least  demonstrated  the  possibility  of 
-iaymg  a  caUe  across  the  Atlantic  Oc^,  ftnd  of  send- 
,„  ing  .messages  through  it.   >hifl  alone  ^  no  smaU' 
triumph.     So  mey  reasoned  Whea.'fldgl  reflection-: 
returned,-iand  a^ggth  the  tide:of  p  jgPontoncuvl- 


.4.1 


r. 


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n ' 


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■'■:.,   ' 


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HISTOBT^T  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.        £63 

which  had  ebbed  so  strongly,  began  to  reflow,  and 
onoe  morer  to  creep  up  the  shores  of  England. 

But  when  a  great  enterprise  has  been  overthrown, 
anid  lies  prostrate  on  tire  earth,  the  first  Impiilse  of  its 
frignds  is  to  call  on  Caesar  for  help.    So  t^e  first  ap- 
peal of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  was  to  the 
.British  Government.    It  was  claimed,  and  with  reason, 

■  that  the  work  was  too  great  to  be  undertaken  by, pri- 
uVate  capital  alone.  It  was  a  matter,  not  of  pri\tete 
'speculation,  but  of  public  and  national "  concern.    It 

x.'^a^  therefore,  ain  object  which' n^ight  justly  be  under- 
takehf  by  a  powerful  government,  in  the  interest  of 

*  sciencft  arid  of  civilization.        . ,;-      ' 

To  raise  capital  for  a  new  cable,  it  was  necessary  to 
have  some  better  security  than  the  hazards  of  a  vast 
and  doubtfill  uhdertaking.    Hence  the  Company  h,sked 

"  the  Gbvernment  to  guaraiitee  tl|Plnterest  on  a  certain 

,  amount  of  stock,  even  if  thQ  sec<fa|d  attempt  sh%ul4  not 
prove  a  complete  success.    With  auch  a  guarantee,  the 
capital  could  be  raised  in  London  in  a  day. 
-^fp.  this  application  thej  might  have  been  siiccessful,. 
bat  f0  ail  untoward  event,  which  dampened  the  con- 

*^aence  of  the  public  in.  all  stibmarifee  entprprises— -the 
^ilure  Jl?  the  Bed  Sea  Telegraph.  ^The  British  Gov- 
eriwhent,  anxioi©  to  forward,  communtJiaticai  with- In- 

.  flia,  had  giveii^  that  Compaiiy  an  Vnconditional  guar- 

^ntee^  on  th^  gtrgngth  Qf  jallich  the  o^ltaf  was  raised,    _^ 


diMn 


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.    261     HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLAimO  TELEGRAPH. 

and  the  cable  manufactured  and  laid.    But  iu  a  very 
short  time  it  ceased  to  wort.    This  proved  a  serious 
loss  to  the  treasury  of  Great  Britain.     To  the  public 
which  did  not  uuderstand  the  eSuse  of  the  failure  to 
be  the  miperfect  construction  of  the  cable,  the  effect 
was  to  impair  confidence  in  all  long  submarine  t,le- 
^aphs.     Of  course,  after  such  an  experience,  the 
,     Government  was  not  disposed  to  bind  itoelf  by  such 
pledges  again.     It  was,  however,  ready  to  aid  the 
enterprise  by  any  safe  means.    It  therefore  increased 

thousand  pounds,  and  guanmteed  eight  per  cent  on 
«x  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  new  oapiM  for  twen- 
ty-flve  years,  with  only  one  condi<lon-«^«  fe  ^jfe 
skoM  ^k    This  was  a  liberal  grant,  on'd  nnderthe 

"^r?T  ""  ^'  *■""  "O"'"  "»  -pected  . 

Sbll  further  to  encourage  the  undertaking,  it  order- 
ed  new^ounding.  to  be  taken  off  the  coast  o   l^Z 

pelled  the  fears  which  had  been  entertained  of  a  sub-    ' 
manne  mountain,  which  would  pr^ve  an  impa*able     ■ 
bamer  in  the  path  of  an  ocean  telegraph  ' 

wh^hi-t  now  ordered,^,:;?::  tTns: 

problems  of  submarine  telegmphy.    In  1859,  the  year 
«faf.  the  Mur.  of  the  ij.^  Atlantic  cab^  the  Z 


ljij>_._^-. 


«0 


; 


\ 


iV 


'      ,  °^  ^^"^^  appointed  a  committee  nf  fi,. 

-i-tifio  and  engineer.,  a^^^t^tra  2™" 
to  investigate  the  wholS  snbieot     Thl!r  '^ 

■  of  Captain  Douglas  aal^.TuJ'Z^Z"''''^'' 
now  of  the  War  OISop  t      ,  ,       ^     ^°S™eers, 

■--^  the  GoLn™;^;^:  7;7"^-p- 

celebrated  eleotrieian;  William  Jib        ,"  "" 
lent  of  the  British  aLo^^  ff  ^ Td     '     •"'■ 
'••      of  Science;  George  Parker  Bidd./    ^  ^'^™""°"'^'". 

with  those  of  StTnb/  r   '■  "^  °*  "'»'"''  "»k» 

ose  01  btephensoa  and  Brunei  •  C    P   ir 

'     %,  who,  in   the  practEal   ^orkin.   of  7,       ^'" 
ias  no  superior  in  Fn  i     .     r       "         '^''^Sraphs, 

"     win  Chrk  hi  °    ""^ '  ^"""°'  •='"■'  "d  Ed- 

win (.lark,  both  engmears,  *ho  had  had  ^reat  .v 

,    "^°-;"*e  business  J  telegraphing    a!dl'" 
^r*eSocreta.,ofth.>a4cTeie;:if^     ^ 

oflhich''-:mId^'"''"''""'^:'-y--.''»'heend      ^ 
mense  lumiTf  e^""'  '"  "''"' '"'!  '^^*»''«i '"'  ■-  ' 

-which  "^ess^Jc^S":  Lit„;;:r*'^^ 

possible  q«estfo„,either  ^  U.tl^'-""^      ' 
necnng  difficulties  to  be  oVeJ,!  ^  °'  '"^  • 
the*  manifrid  a„d  nt,      ^**°°"'-    -Tie  result  of 


v^. 


J 


'♦      . 


1  ^.X.a' 


.  A^'j 


■J/Jf 


5>:- 


4-^ ' 


I  ■ 


l( 


r 


2^-    toSTORY  OF  THE  ATlI^NTIO  TELEGRAPH.  .     •      ^ 

"London,  13tli  July,  1863. 
""WVfebe  undersigned,  members  of  the  Committee, 
-    who  were  appointed  by  the  Boafd  of  Trade,  in  1859, 
..to  investigate  the  question  of,  submarine  telegraphy,' 
:    and  whose-investrgation  continued  from  that  time  t(^  • 
April,' 1861,  do  hereby  state,  ^  the  result  of  our  de- 
liberations, that  a  well-insulate^'c'able,  properly  pro- 
teqted,  of  shitable  specific  gravity,  made  with  care» 
,and  tested  underwater  throughout  its  progress  with 
th^  best  known  apparatus  and>paid  into  the  ocean- 
with  the  most  improved  machinery,  possesses- every 
prospect  of  not  only  being  successfully  laid  in  the    , 
first  inst^ce,  but'  fiiay  reasonably  be  relied  upoiKto  ' " 
continue  %  many  years  in  an  eflaiciQnt  state  for  the    ^ 
iransmissioh  of  signals.  ' 


Douglas  Galton, 
C.  WhM^stone,   1 
Wm.  Fairbairn, 
^Geo.  p.  Bidder, 


Cromwell  F.  Vaulet, 
Latijojr  Clark, 
Edwin  Clark^^^    . 
Geo.  SawardJ'  '"^ 


Thus  the  y^ars  which  followed  the  feilure  of  1868^ 
though  they  saw  no  attempt  to  lay  another  ocean 
cable-were  not  years  of  idleness.  The;^  were  rdther 
years  of  experhnent  and  of  prppajation,  clearing  the 
way  for  new  efibrts  and  final  victory.  The  Atlantic 
Telegraph  itself  had  been  a  grand  experiment.  It  had 
taught  many  important  tl-uths  which1?ould^be  learned 
in  no  ythfir  way.    Not  only  had  it  demonstmted  the 


\\ 


■'i\ 


^..  inA.  ,*...■ -■(?■(;•: 


:.  *: 


^^     ''\ 


-■^■■-  ■  '■  .  .   ,:-,.^  .    i  .  ■    .■«  ■,"'*,■  ..  *       l—-"4-  '-■■•ft     ■  Jl"' i^k',    .■■Vfc    >:  -  ■■■'  ■'  .'Id  .1       "^    '      ■      .  \\ 


/fv. 


.  ■   * 


.1    ' 


t-i 


possibility  of  telegraph W  fro„  „     ..   ^^  / 

°«",  but  it  had  been  ,     ?  ,  "°™'  *°  k""' 

cians  had  thought  it  ne„  ^         '  *' ''^'"- 
battery.     Thev  did     ™^'-^  '"  "»«  a°  enormous 

a.^^the  ?hL  tell  ".T"  ''^^  """'"^  --<> 
.       the  A^esterJ^hemi '  t  r      1  ""^  ^""'■°'  -"^  t^uch 

^neees^r,.;  God"  ^totrthM-  ^  '""  ™^    ' 
.      the  atiU,  .:^,i  ^^■!"  ™'  »  the  whirlwind,  but  in 

.-•'MI  along  th^^rirvttrV'"''""''' 
l^<"-e  a  vastwWerinr^T    ^' '''"'A*^  "^  the  deep 

shell,  miVht  be  cr^rrr^,.  ^  Whisper  m  a  sea- 

■  nies  ;f  nau^.e  ;:^^^^^        ^^^^^^^^^  -  *^e  har.o- 

Thus  wis  gil  L        "°^"^^^  ^"^^^«*«  continents, 
was  .giv^^ia^ew  meaning  to  the  poet's 

-    ,  "^'^*^"^-'*'»''t«FlIable  men's  nari,es  ..      """ 

^         ^On  Bands,  and  shores,  and  desert  wilderne^es..'-     ^^    -  ^ 

-     ,^h'ese  were  also  vearq  nP  ^  t  .,    ' 

t^e3eienceof.hSe°'j^^«7::^-o^^^^ 


-^^^■--«-^:^rs--- 


"  ft.   h 


the  Persiau 


<Jt. 


11  T-  «  1 


.1',' 


.  t- 


^*'f 


^Ife^'i 


268      HISTORY  OF/fe:  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Gulf  fourteen  hundred  miles  lon§,  by  which  telegra  - 
phic  sommmdcation  was  finally  opened  from  England 
ta  India^/^oth  these  lines  still  contini^e  in  perfect  . 
woiMng^OTser.  Others  were  laid  in  diffe&t  seas  and 
oceans  in  distant  parts  of  therworld.  These  great  tri- 
umphs^following  the  scientific  experiments  which  had 
been  made,  revived  public  confidence,  and  prepared 
the  way  for  a  frSsh  attempt  to  pass  the  Atlantic. 

Yet  not  much  was  done  to  renew  the  onterprise 
until  1862.  Mr.  Field  had  been  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  reanimate  the  Company.  He  was  continu- 
ally going  back  and  forth  to  the  British  Provinces  and 
to  England,  urging  it  wherever  his  voice  could  "be 
heard.  Yet  times  were  adverse.  The  United  States 
had  been  suddenly  involved  in  a  tremendous  war, 
which  called  into  the  field  hUpdreds  of  thousands  of 
men,  and  eutailed  a  burdea..of  many  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions. While  engaged  in  this  life-and-death  struggle, 
and  rolling  up  such  a  mountain  of  debt,  our  people 
had  little  thought  to  bestow  on  other  great  enterprises 
by  land  or  sea.  / 

And  yet  one  incident  of  the  war  forcibly  recalled 
public  attention  to  the  necessity  of  some  speedier  com- 
munication with  Europe  than  by  steam.  The  unhappy 
Trent  affair  aroused  an  angry  feeling  in  Great  Britaiin 
which  nearly  resulted  in  hostilities,  all  of  which  might 
have  been  prevented  by  a  single  word  of  explanation. 


•«* 


■  X  :  v , 


*       -  *^ 


;  •■a 


h. 


(v-^.i. 


iJlBiw^t^ 


-^,-, 


HISTO^rOFTfrtj^ATLANWCmEGRAPH.       269 

As  the  London-Times  saidW^...  "m"  nearly, went 

.  to  war  with  America  because  we.  had  not  a  telekp^i 

across  the  Atlantic."    After  such- a  warning,  if  w's 

-^natural  that  both  countries  should  begin  to  think  seri- 

.    ^uslj  of  the  means  of  preventing  future  misunder- 

'     «^-  -g.    Mr.  Fifeld  went  1.  Washington,  and  found 

'    Crbtrf "''  "  *''  P'^  °'  ^  President  and  his 
Cabinet  to  encourage  the  enteVise.     Mr.  Seward 

wrote  to  our  Minister  in  London'that  tW American 
Goyernnaentwould  be  happy  to  join  with  (hat  of  Gr^t 
Bntain  in  promoting  this  international  work     WiTh 
this  encouragement,  Mr.  Field  went  to  EngMnd  to 
urge  the  Company  to  ren^w  the  undertaking.     While 
m  London,  he  endeavored  to  obtaiiifK>m  some  respon- 
sible parties  an  offer  to  con^ruct  and  lay  down  a  cable. 
Messrs.  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.  replied,  declaring  their  will- 
ingness to  undertake  the  work,  without  at  first  nam- 
ing  the  precise  terms.    They  wrote,  under  date  of  Feb- 
ruary seventeenth  : 

"Sir:  In  renfy  to  your  inquiries,  we  beg  to  state 
that  we  shoul^ot  be  willing  to  manufacture  and  lay 
a  Submarine  telegraph  Cable  across  the  Atlantic,  from 
Ireland  to  Newfoundland,  assuming  the  entire  risk  as 
we  consider  that  would  be  too  great  a  responsibility 
for  any  single  firm  to  undertake ;  but  we  are  so  confi-  . 
^ent  that  these  points  can  be  connected  by  a  good  ^n.r  . 


^''  * 


durable  caDle,  tb^tWe  are  willing  ta  6ontract  to  do  the 


1  ^  ■Al'»!L.  ,v>  . 


•^" 


^fptf^y.f^r  ~-'^<~^^v-)i-^'^'-  ?'-'■■■■„. 


270       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGE^'H 

work,  and  stake  a  large  sum  upon  its  successful  laying 
and  working. 

"  We  shall  be  prepared  in  a  few  days,  as  soon  as  we 
can  get  the  necessary  information  in  regard  to  what 
price  we  can  charter  suitable  ships  for  the  service,  to 
,  •  make  you  a  definite  offer." 

Although  it  is  anticipating  a  few  months  in  time,  we 
may  give  here  the  "definite  offer,"  which  was  obtained 
by>Mr.  Field,  on  his  return  to  England  in  tW  autumn. 
Jt  was  as  follows :    ,  _>«"-- '       .  ' 

"London,  (^tober  20,  1862.  \ 
\     "  Ctrub  W.  Fibxd,  Esq.,  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  :  \ 

"  Dear  Sir  :  In  reply  to  your  inquiries,  we  beg  to 
state,  that  we  are  perfectlj^confident  that  a  good  and    ' 
durable  Submarine  Cable/can  be  laid  frdm  Ireland  to 
Newfoundland,  and  are  willing  to  undertake  the'  con-^ 
tract  upon  the  following  conditions  J  '  ^^ 

"  First.  That  we  shall  be  paid  each  week  our  actual 
disbursements  for  labor  and  material. 

"  Second.  That  when  the  cable  is  laid  ami  in  work- 
ing order,  we'shall  receive  for  our  time,  services,  and' 
profit  twenty  per  cent  on  the  Actual  cost  of  the  liile,  in 
shares  of 'th^  Company^  deli^rable  to  us,  in  twelve 
equal  monthly  instalments,  at  the  end  of  each  succes- 
sive montli  whcre^at  the  cab/e  shall  be  found  in  wor^k- 
ing  order.  /  ■ 

#'         — _,_^  \     *     ' 

"We  are  so  confident  that  this  enterprise ^an  b4 
Bucce.safiilly  carriedn        '     " 


make  a  otehsoti^ 


i 


1         ^r-rr,  ri^r^'^'^'V  -^'"'TTTJp^f 


'•*;'T^ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH         271 

•   •  h 

scnption-  for  a  sum  of  twentj-flve  thousand  pounda 
sterling  in  the  ordinary  capital  of  the  Company,  and 
pay  the  calls  on  the  same  when  made  by  the  Com- 
pany. 

"Annexed  we  beg  to  hand  you,  for  your  guidance, 
a  list  of  all  the  submarine  telegraph  cables  maniifac- 
turo^andlaid  by  our  firm  since  we  commenced  this' 
branch  of  our  business,  the  whole  mileage  of  which 
with  the  exception  of  the  ,hort  one  between  Liverpool 
and  Holyhead,  which  has  been  taken  up,  is  at  thi, 
time  in  perfect  and  succgBsful  working  order"    The 
cable  that  we  had  the  h<^  to  contract  for  and  lay 
down  for  the  French ^e^ernn.ent,  connecting  France 
w/th  Algeria,  is  submerged  ki  water  of  nearly  equal 
depths  to  any  we  sh'^uld  have  to  encounter  between 
Ireland  and  Newfounclland.  "      " 

''  you  will  permit  us'to  suggest  thll  the  shore  ends    ' 
,  of  the  Atlantic  Cable  should  be  composed  of  very  heavy 
wires,  as  from  our  experience 'jtlie  only  accidents  that 
have  ^nsen  to  any  of  the  c^el  that  we  have  laid  hav* 
been  caused  by  ships'  anchors,  and  none  of  those  laid 

out  of  anchorage  ground  have  ever  cost  one  shilling 
Tor  repairs.         '     ^  *  .     & 

.^  "The  «abIothat«j||||,U  suggest  for  the  AUantio 
m  be  an  i<>.fro™«Fn^all  those  yet  mantoured, 
a»l  we  flryly  believeP^e  tmpemhable  wfeig  once    ' 


Ml^.        W<^  retoam,  &r,  ^i^i^ithfblly, 


'«^;^^i«,  ^lJ,iot  &  Ca' 


> 


-/ 


^^ 


\v      V 


272 


V 


HIStOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGBAPH. 


The  summer  of  this  year  Mr.  Field  spent  in  Amer- 
ica where  ^e  applied  himself  vigorously  to  raise  capi- 
tal for  the  new  enterprise.     To  this  end  he  visited  dif- 
„erent  cities -Boston.  Providence,  Philadelphia.  Al- 
'^bany,  and  Buffalo-to  address  meetings  of  merchants 
and  othera     All  listened  with  interest,  and  applauded" 
i^^s  coufageand  perseverance,  and  hoped  he  would 
sj^ed,  but  subscribed  little.    In  New-York  he  suc- 
gd  better,,  but  only  by  indefatigable   exertions 
^ddressed  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Board 
Irokers,  and  the  Corn  Exchange/and  then  he  went> 
almost  hterally  from  door  to  door,  calling;  on  mer- 
chants  and  bankers  U>  enlist  their  aid.     The  result 
was,  subscriptions  amounting  to  about  seventy  thousand 
pounds,  the  whole  of  which  was  due  to  persevering 
^personal  solicitation.    Even  o£  those  who  subscribed 
a  large  part  did  so.more  fror^sympathy  and  admiral 
tion  of  his  indomitable  spirit  than  from  confidence  in 
the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

In  England,  however,  the  subject  was  better  under^    ' 
Btoo4    For  obvious  i^easons,  the  science  of  submarine 
telegraphy  has  made  greater  advances  in  that  country 
^^  than  m  our^.     England  is  iteelf  an  island,  and  obliged 
to  hold  all  Its  telegraphic  communication  with  the  con 
tment  by  cables  under  the"  sea.     Then  it  has  large 
colonial  possessions  in  all  parts  of  the  world    with 
which  ^1  IS  important  to  have  the  means  of  speedy 


It         '  /  " 


!#'. 


£:•-./ 


aisTOBTf  OP  t: 


I«»y  with  the  hou^  eao?^,LthTw\  ,""■"""• 
one  conaauons  and  m  Wt  '*  ^"""^  *'* 

tions  should  reach  out  herk  *  !       !  "°*"  °'  '"'- 
distant  children  ?  -^    ""^  *"  «"''«'>=«  !>« 

JX'*eai:etSt  o^tr^'.''^."'  -^^  "-^"--^ 

Hence  it  was  that  tClul^T!T  ""•  '"^  *"*"• 

-  so  .uch  wtev,rii  tr;^^'r^ 

this  countrv  not  nnW  i.       ^^  m  mgl^d  than  in 

toroll  the  stone  toll  f  '' "^'^'^^  ceaseless  effort 

'-"It  was  C  collet  I   '  t      '  "°""'"'"'  ^^^  ">« 
of  the  year  18«r        ^  '"'"'^^  ""  *«  "^ginning 


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CHAPTER  XIV. 


■■       i: 


Thx  ENTEBymsK  RENmnD.  Proposals  for  another  Cable.  Great 
Ihprotkuknt  on  the  Old.  Generous  Offer  op  thr  Manufactur- 
ers TO    TAKE    HALF    THE   CAPITAL.      ThE    WoRK   BEGUN.      ThE   GrEAT 

Eastekn  and  Captain  Anderson.    The  whole  Cable  shipped  on 
board  in  the  Spring  of  1866.    Expedition  in  July. 

It  is  a  long  nigbt  which  has  no  morning.  At  last 
the  (Jay  is  breaking.  While  weary  eyes  are  watching 
the  East,  "daylight  cosoes^ver  the  sea."  Five  years 
have  passed  away,  and  though  the  time  seemed  long 
as  an  Arctic  winter,  that  only  made  more  bright  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  Those  years  of  patient  experiment, 
when  scientific  men  were  applying  tests  without  num- 
ber, and  submarine  lines  were  feeling  their  way  along 
the  deep-sea  floor  in  all  the  waters  of  the  world,  at* last 
brought  forth  their  fruit  in  that  renewed  confidence 
which  is  the  forerunner  of  victory. 

So  strong  was  this  feeling,  that  as  early  as  August, 
1863,  although  the  capital  was  not  raised,  the  Board, 
advertised  for  propoiaals  for  a  cable  suitable  to  be  laid 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean ;  and  in  order  to  leave  in- 


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S*,**^.' 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       275 

dictation  as  to  the  fomi  or  materials  to  be  adopted, 
rnevely  stipulating  for  a  working  speed  of  eight  words 
a  minute. 

"lo^  replj  thej  received,  in  the  couree  of  a  few 
weeks,  seventeen  different  proposals  from  as  many 
companies,  many  of  them  firms  of  large  wealth  and 
eicperience.    These  different  tenders,  with  the  numer- 
ous specimens  of  cable  and  materials,  were  at  once  sub- 
mitted  to  the  emin^t  Consulting  Committee  which 
had  already  rendered  such  service  bj  its  advice,  em- 
.  bracing  as  it  did  the  first  engineering  skill  and  sci- 
entific knowledge  of  the  kingdom.     This  Committee 
exammed  all  the  proposals,  and  then,  taking  up  one 
bj  one  the  different  samples  of  cable,  caused  them 
in  turn  to  be  subjected  to  the  severest  tests.  'This 
took  a  long  tune,  as  it  required  a  great  n^ber  of    " 
e:q)eriments;  but  the  result  was  highly  satisfactory. 
The  Committee  were  all  of  one  mind,  and  recom- 
mended unanimously  that  the  Board  should  accept 
the  tender  of  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  and  the 
general  principle  of  their  proposed  cable;-  but  ad- 
vised that  before  settling  the  final  specification,  every 
portion  of  the  material  to  be  employed  should  be  test 
ed  with  the'  greatest  care,  both  separately  and  in  com- 
bination, so  as  to  ascertain  what  further  improvements 
could  be  made.    To  this  the  ma^ufacturei^  readily 
wr^cnted,  feeling  a  noble  amKtlon  to  justify  the  con-  "" 


nqv",  i*      rf  «.!,>«  • 


.  J*^<^.  r,vf,iii.J  '  t  iii  ' 


1 ; 


M 


,,* 


27Q       HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLAOTJO  ^LESRAPH. 

/       ^. 

fidence  of  the  Committee  and  the  jjublic.  They  p«x 
vided  abundant  materials  for  fresh  Experiments.  New 
cables  were  made  and  tested  in  different  lengths  •  and 
experiments  were  also  tried  upon  different  qualities  of 
wire  and  hemp,  that  were  to  compose,  its  external  pro- 
tection. The  result  of  all  these  investigations  was^tbi 
selection  of  a  model  #hich  seemed  to  combine  every 
excellence,  and  to  approach  absolute  perfection. 

Such  was  the-cable  which  this  eminent  firm  offered 
to  manufacture,  and  to  lay  across  the  Atlantic,  and  that 
on  terms  so  favorable,  that  it^  seemed  as  if  it  could  nk 
be  difficult  to  rto  the  ca/ital  and  procee^th  the 
work.    Indeed,  a  contraot/was  partially  H^Bp)  that 
effect.    So  confident  wd  Mr.  Field,  Miho^  then 
m  London,  that  an  expedition  would  sail  the  follow- 
ing summer,  that  he  insured  his  stock,  part  of  it 
only  against  ordinary  sea-risks,^ but  part  also  to  be 
laid  and  to  work  I    But  hardly  had  he  left  England 
before  there  was  some  unforeseen  hitch  in  the  arrange- 
menta,  the  money  was  not  fo^thcomi^^i  or  sotoe  of: 
the  conditions  were  not-Mbplied  with,' and  he  had   \ 
the  mortification  to  receive  lettera^-  jgaying  that  the 
whole  enterprise  was  postponed  for  another  y^arl 

This  was  indeed  discouraging.    Hope  deferred  mak^.  " 
eth  the  heart  sick,  and  this  hope  had  been  deferi^d  for  " 
many  a  year.    Yet  this  sudden  dropping  of  the  schpmi 
did  not  imply  a  loss  of  intereat  or  of  Jaith  on  the  p<irt  _ 


A'^iMJ,V4 


f  t 


iw  -J    i-Li,  V'-*  -liBlri-- 


.'Wtoj4.%tl 


}'■■■- 


w^ 


'f-yfa « 


/• 


*nt.- 


HISTOEY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      277 

Of  those  embarked  in  it    The^  believed  in  i^^  „,ueb 
as  ever.    But  the  general  .public  did  not  refpond  to 
the  call  for  more  capital.     Ala^  that  the  noblest  enter- 
pnses  should  so  often  be  delayed  or  defeated  by  the 
want  of  money  I    But  so  it  ia     Capitol  ig^Iways  cau- 
tious and  timid,  and  follows  slowly  in  the  path  of 
great  discoveries.    While  "star-eyed  Science"  fliee 
fer  m  advance  of  the  human  race,  sordid  Mftnmon 
creeps  behind.    If  Columbus,  instead  of  the  patron- 
age of  Queen  fsabella,  had  depended  on  a  stock  com- 
pany for  the  means  for  his  expedition,  he  might  never 
have  sailed  from  the  shores  of  Spain.    Happy  was  it 
for  mankind  that  his,faith  and  patience  did  not  wear 
out,  while  going  from  court  to  court,  and  kingdom  to 
,.  Kngdom,  and  almost  begging  his  way  from  door  to 
•   door  I 

.,  But  it  is  no^  ih  human  natoe-least  of  all  in  the, ' 
-  Saxon  blood-to  despond  long.     The  heart  of  man  is 
hke  the  sea,  ebbing  and  returning  with  a  ceaseless   - 
flow.    Though  at  times  it  seems  to  have  swept  away 
to  distant  shores,  yet  ^  moons  revolve  and  tides  re- 
turn, again  the  white-created  waves  come  rolling  up  ' 
the  beach.    T6n>years  of  constant  defeat  would  seem 
,  to  have  wrouglit  a  lasting  discouragement    Yet  again 
and  again  did  the  baffled  spirit  of  enteiprise  return  to 
the  attempt.    In  January,  1864,  Mr.  Field  was  once 

more   on  4iifl  »d»  »;»   T!T_„i-     -T  -.  • — . :~~- 


/ 


™«e  xm  ills  w»5r  16  mgi^tHrjir^e^    S,' 


«^j 


K%^Jik>ii^mk 


-ft  . 


['. 


r  /■ 


.  < 


278 


HI^TOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


fouiid  the  Directors,  as  before,  deeply  interested  in  the 
enterprise,  and  wishing  it  success.    With  a  grateful 
heart  he  bore  witness  to  their  unfaltering  courage. 
:     But  mere  courage  and  good  wishes  wovild  not  lay  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph.    Yet  what  more  could  they  do? 
They  COUI4  not  be  expected  to  advance  all  the  capital 
themselves.      They  had  already  subscribed  liberally, 
and  he  could  not  ask  them  to  do  more.    But  with  all 
the.  ^rts  that  had  been  made  in  England  and  Ameri- 
ca,  not  half  the  capital  was  yet  raised.     The  machinery 
was  in  a  dead  lock,  with  little  prospect  of  being  abl^ 
to  move.     It  was  the  misfortune  of  the  enterprise  that 
there -was  no  one  man  who  made  it  his  sole  and  exclu- 
sive charge.    The  Board  of  Directors  contained  some 
of  the  best  men  in  London.    But  th^  were,  almost 
without  exception,  engaged  in  very  large  affairs  of 
their  own,  with  no  leisure  to  make  a  public  enterprise 
their  special  care.    To  insure  success,  it  needed  a  trial 
of  the  oae-man  power— one  brain,  planning  night  and 
day;  one  agency  incessantly  at  wOrk,  stirring  up  di- 
rectors, contractors,  and  engineers ;  and  one  will  push- 
ing it  forward  by  main  strength.  /  This  was  the  force 
now  to  be  applied.  / 

The  first  element  needed  to  put  lifo  into^the  old 
system  was  an  infusion  of  nevf  blood— new  capital 
and  new  men.  WhUe  the  e^'terprise  was  in  this 
state  of  collapse,  Mr.  Field  addressed  himself  to  a 


iif. 


v.. 


&. I. 


\ 


M^l^i 


"t?  r\ ■'<«•'•   <»-|'  'u»   v.i    t  »,{'  ^p5553F,i;, «'  i- 


{ 


BISTOBr  OF  THE  ATI^TIO  TELEQEApn.       279 

gentleman  with  whom,  untU  then,  he  had  no  per 

ZneTtrr^ '"' """'  ^  ™"^°™  -  ^■'^ol 

mcu*  iiraasej.     Their  first  interview  was  aomp    ' 
-hat  remarkable.    Referring  to  it  a  fe.  mo'hs  aZ' 
:M.neId«a,d:  "When  I  arrived  in  this  couZI^ 

W^  m  the  balance.    We  were  in  want  of  tods,  and    ' 
We  m  oegohafonB  with  the  government,  and  mak- 
^g  great  exertions  to  raise.the  money.    At  this  jZ- 
^  I  was  mtrodneed  to  a  gentleman  of  gr,at  inte^y  ' 
land  enterpnse,  who  is  well  known,  not  only  for  hll 
iwealth    b„t  for  his  foresight,  and  in  at  JptiJg  t 
pnhst  h.m  in  on?  canse  !«,  pat  me  through  sneht 
pr^-examination  as  I  had  never  before  expended 
I  thought  I  was  m  the  witness-bo^.    He  inquired  of 
me  the  praetieability  of  the  seheme-what  it  w<Ald 
pay,  and  every  thing  else  oonneeted  with  it;  but  be- 
fore I  left  Mm,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing'  him  sa^ 
that  ,t  was  a  great  national  enterprise  that  ought  to  be 
earned  out,  and,  he  added,  I  will  be  one  often  to  find  ' 
the  money  required  for  it.    From  that  day  to  this  he 
has  never  hesitated  about  it,jmd  when  I  mention  his 
Nme,  you  will  know  him  as  a  man  whose  word  is  as 
good  as  his  bond,  and  as  for  his  bond,  there  is  no  bet "  . 
ter  m  England."  »"o«ei 


HaviDg-&aa  secured  one  powerflir  aHj,  Ifc^lell 


"-  i"* 


*■;<,•' 


•^>- 


■St','''  "*'^^W'S<f'"'Ji<i^it'pt-^ 


280 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC ,  TELEGBAPH. 


i  i 


\ 


took  oourage  aud  went  to  work  to  make  another.    He 
says :  "  The  words  spoken  by  Mr.  Braasey  in  the  latter 
part  of  January,  'Bft  the  Electric  Telegraph  be  la^ 
between  Eng%4  and  America,'  encouraged  us  ail 
and  made  us  belieye  we  should  succeed  in  raising  the 
necessary  capital,  ariti  I  then  went  to  work  to  find  nine\ 
other  Thomas  Brasseys,  (I  did  not  know  whether  he 
was  an  Englishman,  a  Scotchman,  or  an  Irishman; 
but  I  made  up  my  mind  that  he  combines  all  the  good 
qualities  of  every  one  of  them,)  and  after  considerable 
search  I  met  with  a  rich  friend  from  Manchester,  [Mr. 
John  Pender,  M.P.,]  and  I  asked  him  if  he  would  sec- 
ond Mr.  Brassey,  and  walked  with  him  from  28  Pall 
Mall  to  the  House  of  Commons,  of  which  he  is  a  memr 
ber.    Before  we  reached  the  House,  he  expressed  his 
willingness  to  do  so  to  an  equal  amount" 

This  was  putting  strong  arms  to  the  wheel.    A  few 
days  after,  a  combination  was  formed  to  carry  on  the 
whole  business  of  making  Submarine  Telegraphs,  by 
a  union  of  the  Qutta-Percha  Company  with  the  firm 
of  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  the  principal  manufacturers  of 
sea  cables,  making  one  grand  concern,  to  be  called 
The  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Com. 
pany.    These  two  great  capitalists  entered  .into  the 
new  organization,  of  which  Mr.  Pender  was  made 
Chairman.    The  Gutta-Percha  Company  brought  in 
still  further  strength  to  the  joint  enterprise,  in  the  pep- 


% 


^V-**-*"^-^  1^  ^•^* 


y 


i;?'^" 


MTOKr  OF  THB  AIlAlmo  TELKGRAPH.       281 

"Oiating  material  known,  as  OhattertonV  .  I 

'       The  union  of  all'  these  ^Z  '"''"'*^'' ^ """Porad. 

practical  sktU  !l  «         ?     ""^^  "  <=ombination  of 

"n.^^h!::rbtr:r'^°^^'°^-''^"- 

has  he  nf      r  ^  ^  "  °'»'^g«''.  S"oh  power 

„    te  of  gathering  atout  him  talent  in  ever,  depart 

was  more  than  half  the  whole  capital     As  vT  J«, 

«0  „,nired,  but  ^285,00^  haf  bl'n^  ■ 

acnbod     Now  this  princely  Company  offered  ^  Jo' 

he  balance  themael.es-f  315,000.  They  did  mo^ 

^»g  £100,000  of  bonds  beside.    Thusatonrdl^ 

^ft  these  stalwart  Englishmen  took  the  who  c  el 

lT\r  '"'"  ''^'  *°'^''--    ^~-  that  C 
stm^lTl*^-    ^'"- -^  «  Oead  lock  ; 

ho  jnaohmeiy  began  to  revolve  8iS»n 

way  that  Englishmen  love,  by  a  little  fesKvitv  and 
^=«m^arfeed  m  the  enSmrisA  *i,«  ^i ., 


Starke  J  m  the  en^rfse,  the  pleasant  thought  ckv 


5^ 


-% 


fi  [. 


283     HISTORY  OF  the  Atlantic  telegraph. 

,  curred  to  him  of  getting  his  friends  together  to  ctle- 
brate  the  anniversary.  Accordingly,  on  the  fifteenth 
of  March,  he  invited  them  to  dine  together  at,  the  Pal- 
ace Hotel.  It  was  a  pleasant  occasion,  calling  forth 
the  usual  amount  of  toasts  and  speeches.  Of  the 
latter,  those  of  Mr.  Adams,  the  American  Minister, 
and  of  John  Bright,  were  widely  copied  in  the  United 
States.  The  next  day  was  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  when  the  Chairman, 
The  Right  Hon.  James  Stuart  Wortley,  thus  referred 
to  the  gathering  of  the  night  before  :  ,    ,  ^ 

"Without  saying  any  thing  to  detract  from  my 
deep  source  of  gratitude  to  the  other  Directors,  I  can- 
not help  especially  alluding  to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  who 
is  present  to-day,  and  who  has  crossed  the  Atlantic 
thirty-one  times  in  the  service  of  this  Company,  hav- 
ing celebrated  at  his  table  yesterday  the  anniversary 
of  the  tenth  year  of  the  day  when  he  first  left  Boston 
in  the  service  of  the  Company.    Collected  round  his 
table  last  night  was  a  company  of  distinguished  men- 
members  of  Pariiament,  great  capitalists,  distinguished 
merchants  and  manufacturers,  engineers  and  men  of 
science,  such  as  i3*rarely  found  together  even  in  the 
highest  house  in  this  great  metropolis.     It  was  very 
agreeable  to  see  an  American  citizen  so  surrounded  ^ 
To  me  it  was  so  personally,  as  it  would  have  been  to 
you,  and  it  was  still  more  gratifying,  inasmuch  as  lye 


Utk^jp^j^^Hf^ij^jt^  »5i  i%t!^^  ^iAr  ^*t  !i^'  * 


•V'   -A.'^ 


^-at.'.^'jSifJ'a: 


•s, 


P'i^e,  to  find  in  the  hour^f  ?"^  T  "  P""'"  «"'»■■• 
•^  not  forgotten  The  r,  !'"?''  *"'  ^'^  '^""^ 
P-d  t  Jngh  a  erU  :,^;;lf;^^"P^  "  J- 
enle,pri3e  had  been  in  ..   T/  "'"''•>'•    T"-" 

at  lea^  /or  Jr  ^  ^"^'"""^'^^  "^  abandonment- 

-cued  onl^'The  ^X  "°*'"™  "  ""-^  ^- 

Ho,,  much  tl^falL T?""*"  "'"'  "^"""^  ^ff"-'- 

be^t-    At  a  meetin,  of  1„  n    ^\°^  "^9^  ''^o  know 

May  fifth  istii  """"^  <"'  *«  Companv 

>'y  nitn,  I8b4,  on  motion  of  Mr  o  m  r„  ^' 

onded  by  Mr.  FranakJ*  Breton'  ^'  '^'''  '"^  • 

Jiesolved  "That W^^         ,  '     ""^  ""animouslv: 
^ventoMr.C^X^";:;:*»^°^*''Board.,«' 

'"  P-moting  the  Zl^tt'^  TT^  """^  ' 

-e  W  cLpan  ~e.;tS;  ^    ^ ^  ^ "^'« 
and  successful  Pvprf,-^      j    •         "^  ^  valuable 

financial  position  ZT  °  "^toration  of  ita 

.    Thus  aStfl'I  t!^^''°'"'"P'^'«-'=-^" 
w>3  cleared  aw  It;       r"^  °'  °"  ''■•^'«'- 
The  wor^  of  Thf  M^^lT^  *"'^  --S-  ''-w. 
^MS^pJ  rSiS-^'™"^-  And  M.ite_ 


isnimca^p»By     ~r  r      .      °*'°''  *"^  ^«»- 
==«»i-inpaDy  arethe^ai^t  in.the  world,  and  au' 


r 


«         ■  Nil 


ir 
1..., 


Jfrt-?'S"  '>J"  ] 


^■38 


■»«ft,itB.,,i4*.&&-Jl4-f^^As.,4i«*    S 


;. 


^' 


:  I 


284       HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATtANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

their  resources  were  -now  put,,  in  requisition.    Never 
did  greater  care  preside  pv6r  a  public  enterprise.    It 
was  a  case  in  which  the'taotive  ofintor^t  was  second- " 
ed  or  overbotne  by  pride  and  ambition.    A/jable  wds 
to  be  made  to  span  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  to  join  the 
» hemispheres ;  and  it  was  a  natural  pride  to  produde  a 
work  that  should  be  as  nearly  perfect  a^  human  skill 
.*could  make  it.    The  Scientific  Committee,  that^had 
so  long  investigated  the  subject,  had  approved  a  par- 
ticular form  of  cable,  as  "the  one  most  calculated  to 
insure  success  in  the  present  state  of  our  experimental 
knowledge  respecting  deep-sea  cables,"  but  at  tfie 
same  time  recommended  the  utmost  vigilance  at  every 
stage  of  the  manufacture.     These,  precautions  deserve  ' 
to  be  noted,  as  showing  with  what  jealous  care  8(^nce 
watches  over  the  birth  of  a  great  enterprise,  and  p»- 
scribes  the  conditions  of  success.   They  recommended : 
That  the  conductivity  of  the  wire  should  be  fixed  at 
a  high  standard,  certainly  not  less  than  eighty-five  per  - 
ceiit ;  that  the  cable  should  bs  at  least  equal  to  the 
best  ever  made ;  that  the  core  should  be  electrically 
perfect ;  that  it  should  be  tested  under  hydraulic  press- 
ure, and  at  the  highest  pressure  attainable  in  the  tank6 
at  the  Company's  \\h9rks ;  that  after  this  pressure,  the» 
core  should  be  examined  again,  and  before  receiving 
its  outer  covering,  be  required  to  pass  thefuU  electrical 
Jest  under  water  j"  that  carefiil  and  frequent  mechanical 

-  I -----  -       --  ■  -  -J »-  -.-  -  -■    -    ■■*  ■  -^-  - .  ■•■■■ . 


-^1-  ^fll«  feV.,y\t? 


■  -^^  "^    J-'>iU.     -iSft. 


V    ..„ 


l"-p' 


PH. 


u    Never  ■ 

priSe.     It 
IS  second- " . 

cable  was 

D  join  the 
)rodude  a 

man  skill 

that^had 

ed  a  par- 

ulated  to  ' 

3rimontal 

t  at  t£e 

at  every 
3  deserve 

e  sconce 

and  pse- 
mended : 

fixed  at 

'-five  per  • 
il  to  the 

sctrically 

Ztc  press-        \  • 

he  tank§ 

3ure,  the- 

•eceiving 
electrical 

chanical 

.  that  When  eo5„;V?he:n  ?""'  '*^°"'-'  -" 
■  five  de^cT^Tht       VT  '""■'^""""'  "^  ^^^-'y 

improved  byeoM-  so  thit  if T  "''^  ''• 


OLD  ATLANTIC  CABLE,  18^8. 


««W  ATLANTIC  CABLE,  1806. 


„-^ 


■L/ 


^  .,- 


"   -.f. 


h  .^S^^^i  ^\t 


I*    !  . 


^^ 


t  \  - 


•  t  V  *^ 


^86        HISTORY  OF  THE   ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


pieted  and  more  perfect  form.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
compare  it  with  the  cable  laid  in  1858,  to^show  its  im- 
mense superiority.  A 'glance  at  the.  two'as  they  ap- 
pear on  the  preceding  page  will  show  that  the  balileh^d 
grown-  since  fitst  it  was  planted  in  the  ocean,  as  if  it 
were  a  living  product  of  the  sea ;  or  if  we  choose  to 
consider  it  as  a  tendril  of  the  British  oak,  the  slender 
twig  had  become  a  tough,  strong  limb.  This  growth 
had  been  in  every  part,  from  core  to  circumference. 
1^.  First,  the  central  copper  wire,  which  was  the  spinal 

cord,  the  nerve  along  which  the  lightning  was  to  run, 
was  nearly  three  times  larger  than  before.    The  old 
conductor  was  a  strand, -consisting  of  seven  fine  wires, 
six  laid  round  one,  and  weighed  only  one  hundred 
and  seven  pounds  to  the  mile.     The  new  was  com- 
posed of  the  same  number  of  wires,  but  weighing 
three  hundred  pounds  to  the  mile.    This  was  made 
.of^  the  finest  copper  that  could  be  obtained  in  the 
world — making  a  perfect  conductor.    To  seculre  insu- 
lation, this  conductor  was  first  imbedded  for  solidity 
in  Ohatterton's  compound,  a  preparation  impervious 
to  water,  and  then  covered  with  four  layers  of  gutta- 
percha, which  were  laid  on  alternately  with  four  thin 
layers  of  Ohatterton's  Compound.    The  old  cabl&  had 
,         ^         ^^^  three  coatings  of  gutta-percha,  with  nothing  be- 
-?!'■*       **,  tween.    Its  entire  insulation  weighed  but  two  hun- 
'*■      -'^'  ^rt<'(\  ftpd  sixty-one  pounds  tx>  the  mile,  while  that  of 


the  new  weighed  four,  hundred  pounds. 


A .  i,. 


a.  ^ . 

jssarj  to   , 
V  its  ira- 
they  ap- 

alileh^cl 

■f 

,  as  if  it 
doose  to 
J  slender 
1  growth 
rence. 
16  spinal 
3  to  run, 
The  old 
le  wires, 
hundred 
ras  com- 
!(reigliing 
as  made 
i  in  the 
a^  insu- 
solidity. 
pervious 
of  gutta- 
four  thin 
abl&  had 
hing  be- 
wo  hun- 
)  that  of 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      287 

But  a  conductor  ever  so  perfect,  with  insulation 
complete,  was  useless  without  proper  external  pro- 
•t^tion  to  guard  it  against  the  dangei^  which  must 
attend  the  long  and  difficult  process  of  laying  it  across 
the  ocean.    The  old  cable  had  broken  a  number  «f 
times.    The :  new  must^  made  stronger.    To  this 
end  It  wa3^  incased  with  ten  golid  wires  of  the  best 
iron,  or  rather,  of  a  soft  steel,  like  that  used  by  Whit-  ' 
worth  for  his  cannon.    "This  made  the  caWe  much 
heavier  than  before.     The  old  caW  weighed  but 
twenty  ewt.  to  the  mile,  while  the  new  one  reached 

and  weight  were  nothing,  except  as  they  indicated 
increased  strength.    This  was  secured,  not  only  by 
the  larger  iron  wires,  but  by  a  farther  coating  of  rope 
Tl  ""mT  ''"'  «""°-^ded  separately  with  1^  strands  ' 
ot  Manilla  yam,  saturated  with  a  preservative  com- 
pound, and  the  whole  laid  spimlly  rWd  the  coffe, 
which  latter  was  .padded  with  ordinary  hemp,  satu- 
rated  with  the  same  preservative  mixture.    This  rope 
covenng  was  important  in  several  respecte.    It  kept 
the  wir^  from  coming  in  contact  with  the  salt  water, 
by  w^ch  they  might  be  corroded ;  and  whUe  it  added 
greater  to  the  strenglli  of  the  cable,  it  gave  it  also  its 
own  flexibiKty-^o  that  while  it  had  the  strength  of  an 
^  c^,  it  had  also  the Jightneas  ar^  tejbilitgr^.^-. 


01 


t 


!. 


>-- 


a  coidmon  ship's  n^.    This  union  „£  two  quaUUe* 


#^'' 


*'?**i.A^»j*  -..ia*  Jki,  A 


^  " 


e  ,i 


\ 


'    1 


I  1  s^  288       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLAKTIO  TELEGRAPH.     ' 

R   m-  w-as  all-important.    The  great  problem  had  been  to 

■^        combine  strength  with  flexibility.     Mere  dead  weight 
was  an  objection.     The  new  cable,  though  nearly 
twice  as  heavy  as  the  old  in  air,  when  immersed  in 
water,  weighed  but  a  trifle  more ;  so  that  it  was  really 
much  l^hter  in  proportion  to  its  size.     This  increased 
lightness  was  a  very  important  matter  in  laying  the 
cable,  as  it  caused  it  to  sink  slowly.    The  old  cable, 
though  smaller,  was  heavy  aknost  as  a  rod  of  iron, 
so  that,  as  it  ran  out,  it  dropped  at  an  angle  which 
exposed  it  to  great  danger  in  case  of  a  sudden  lurch 
of  the  ship.     Thus  in  1857  it  was  broken  by  the  stern 
of  the  Niagara  being  thrown  up  on  a  wave  just  as  the 
brakes  were  shut  down.    Now  the  cable,  being  par- 
tially buoyed  by  the  rope,  would  float  out  to  a  great 
distance  from  the  ship,  and  sink  down  slowly  in  the 
deep  waters. ' 

.  By  this  combination  of  rope  and  iron,  a  cable  was 

secured  two  and  a  half  times  as  stroug  as  the  old— the 

freaking  strain  of  the  former  having  been  three  tons, 

five  cwt.,  and  of  the  latter  seven  tons  and  fifteen  cwt. 

Or,  to  put  it  in  another  form,  the  contract  strain  of  the 

•former  was  less  than  five  times  its  own  weight  per 

mile  in  water ;  so  that  if  the  cable  had  been  laid  in 

some  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  where  the  ocean  is  more 

-  than  fi^ve  miles  deep,  it  would  have  broken  under  the 

enoimous  strain.    But  the  contract  strain  of  the  new 


MA         Mlf 


^M 


h  : 


t  : 


flISTOEY  OP  THK  ATLANTIC  rai^GBAPH.      289 
"  cable  was  equal  to  eleven  times  its  weieht  n...  ™-l    • 
water  whieh.  as  the  g^atest  depth  f^^^^ 
P-^ed  waa  but  two  and  a  half  Lies,  .IdeLTth^ 
cable  „ore  than  f„u.  times  as  st.ug  ^  wlt^i^a 
Th,s  great  ehain  which  was  to  bind  the  sea  wLto 
be  twent^-th^e  hundred  nautical  miles  long.^^t^ 
^    wenty-seven  hundred  statute  milesl    lut  whi 
could  this  enormous  bulk  be  stow^^  ?     t.  f 

would  sink  the  Spanish  ArmllLft' 

world  the  Niagara  and  tl^e  Agamemnon.  Yet  now  one 
much  larger  and  bulkier  was  to  be  taken  on  board 
Th|s  m.ght  have  proved  a  serious  embarrassment  but 
•    that  Providence,  which  leids  the  prosress  of  th„ 
f:f7  the  means  of  advancen>erTso  htcTe^ 
hat  a  few  yea«  before  there  had  been  built  i^To^ 
land  a  ship  of  enormous  proportions -the  greatest    , 
floating  thing  constructed  bv  the  1«W  „f 
Noah'a  »i.ir  -,     t.        """  °J  tne  Jabor  of  raan  since 

ThP        J     '"™  °''  *»  waters  of  the  Delude 
Th   G^t  Ea,te™,  whose  ii.n  walls  had  been  ^a^' 

by^e^.„sofBn.nel,h,dbeenf„rtenyea™w"tS 
for    a  mission."    As  a  sp^imen  of  marine  a«>hitec* 

Z;  :„r  '"*°l    ^'■^  ^^^  *«  wate«  intt 

™Lof  I!r      T"^  '^  ""'^  "  "^^  'be 
8^^  K*;-^  ordinaiy  demands  of  com- 


»*Jii,f. 


Jt^.. , 


>  ^-ij  -»" '»^7's;^4»'^'i,'fl^;^! 


\ 


290      HISTORY  OP  THE  AihANTlO  TELEGRAPH. 

merce.  Her. very  size  was  against  her;  and  wHila 
smaller  ships,  on  which  she -looked  down  with  con- 
tempt,  were  continuallj  %ing  to  and  fro  across  the 
sea,  this  leviathan, 

Hugeat  of  all  God's  works 
That  swim  the;  ocean  stream, 

could  find  nothing  worthy  of  her  greatness.    Here, 
then,  was  the  vessel  to  receive  the  Atlantic  cable! 
Seeing  her  fitness  for  the  purpose,  a  few  of  the  gen- 
tlemen  who  were  active  in  reviving  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph combined  to  purchase  her,  as  she  was  about  to 
be  sold."   One  of  thera  went  down  with  all  speed  to 
Liverpool,  and  the  next  day  telegraphed  that  the  Big 
Ship  was  theirs.  ,The  new  owners  at  once  put  her  at 
the  service  of  the  Atlantic  Company,  with  the  express 
a^ement  tbat  any  compensation  for  Eer  use  should 
depend  on  the  success  of  the  expedition. 

Next  to  the  good  fortune  of  finding  such  a  ship 
ready  to  their  hands,  was  that  of  finding  an  officer 
worthy  to  command  her.  Captain  James  Anderson, 
of  the  China,  one  of  the  Cunard  steamena,  had  long 
been  known  to  the  traveUing  public,  both  of  England 
and  America,  and  no  one  ever  crossed' the  sea  ^th 
him  without  having  awakened  the  strongest  feeling  of 
respect  for  his  manly  and  seamanly  qualities.  A  thor- 
ough  master  of  his  profession,  having  followed  the  aea 


■\ 


4-:-_-'.'^i!3-^iiiJw*-Vi. 


").«,  t  t  < 


11 


:V*. 


and  wHle 

with,  oon- 

acroas  the 


3S.  Here, 
itic  cable, 
f  the  gen- 
ntic  Tele- 
I  about  to 
speed  to 
t  the  Big 
at  her  at 
e  express 
le  should 

ha  Bbip 
in  officer 
Jiderson, 
liad  long 
England 
sea  -^th 
aeling  of 
A  thor- 
Itheaea 


«™„r  0.  THE  ^^,™o  ,,^^^^    2M 

fulness     IT.  .1  "•"  ■"*  "^^''s  watch- 

&r  eveiy  interest  committed  ^71      .    '^'^'  "'"' 
words,  modest  in  manner  It  "*"'  °^  '^'^ 

«7  marked  in  momtrof  rn^'r '"  "^ 
™  gathering,  all  who  sTwSLiT  ""^ 

whcel-h<,«se,  watching  with  a  tl  !    '""  ^  ""^ 
ia  tie  ship  and  ever^  d^d  inteT  '™'^  ""^ 
-w  security  from  befng  nl  h^  J:"T'h*^'  "■. 
the  man  to  Ha  r.,if  •      t  '    ^'^c*!  ^as 

He  was  ^.^  ulto:  ctrofth:  rr^''»- 

ors.  The  Cunard  OonJ^^y- wi  '  J!'"'  "'  """^^ 
consented  to  eive  d„  iT  •  ^'"  generosity, 
were  to  t.Z  ^     ^        "ernoes,  valuable  as  they 

B^^htr^  T  "'^'^  "^  »""  P-"""  -«e-t 
^   °  tnus  free,  he  accepted  the  truaf '  ^^^      *     ^ 

-pon  it  with  enthusiasm.    How  1^0  Mfln  Tf 

expectations  of  aU,  the  seqnei  wiU  Iw     ^^  *" 

Ihe  work  now  went  on  with  soeed     rp.        ,     , 

w^rees  ot  the  earth's  ftnrfi./w.     u- «  -^ 


of  Ae 4rth's anrface.    Merefiguros  give  Z 


4    ,^ 


/  '- 


14. 


^^kfii**A'«.%^  MvAiliK 


•  / 


'.»■<■ 


> 


■y    I 


292       »MTORT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TEUraSipH. 

feci,  ascertained  by  an  exact  compatation,  that  if  W     " 
Ae  wres  of  ooppe.  a«d  of  iron,  with  the'laye.  2^ 

Z^a.Z     '  T  ""^  **  ""'''  covering,  a„d  the 
rtnmd^^ofyarp  that  were  twiatedW  this  one  knotted 
-^ble,  were  ph>ccd  end  to  en4  the  whole  leng^. 
wonld  reach  from  the  earth  to  the  mi>n  I 

w«plung«i  m  water,  to  .fcfe&tt ^is.r with  the  de-       ' 

was  coiled  to  "hjrbernate,"  tUI  it  should  be  wanted  fc! 
use  the  coming  spring.  •""»  wanted  for 

Seeing  the  work  thus  well  under  way  with  n„ 
chance  of  another  disastrous  ch«,k,  ^Xm  ul 
Bngland  with  h^  at  rest,  and  reiu„ed  to  I^eri^ 

::":r.t;::k%rj:csrt 

eighteenth  of  Mareh     Hi, IT  ^        ""  **" 

tl»n  a  year  So     ^7;\™  ""^  »'i«&«to:7 

vanced.  It  '„TTL2  u^  """  "°''  ''^"  '^- 
den  Wharf  Jo  8»»fyf'Sl!t.to  go  down  to  Mor- 
aen  Wharf  at  Greenwich,  and  see  the  huge  maohineri 

Thetaumphappa.«,ay™„^,,^         iTlmed 
lybehudu.theye.rofg^l86^-tbeendfo,wM 


ilf^  'l^^"" '  '^'-^'^^>«*fi'^"t-''.^:^^,  -J 


■^jv*"  «;?Jr34'"',^*'^v^^''     ,|5'^'     >." 


HiSToar  OF  IBB  ATLANno  r^.9^PH.     293 

jLi^ri  '""""t'^  *"""'  "--  ^««^™„  weary 
jeam_as  long  as  Jacob  served  for  Eaohel  I    n  7 1 

^^  to  could  not  but  regard  the  proq,eofe,.ith  ^.tis! 

Having  no  more  drudgery  of  ™Lg  money  he  had 

r:."  *''  ''^^'-'  1--"=  to  take  a  voyl  UP  the 
Mediterranean      Thn  .,.„.i  »  ™yage  uj)  the 

world.    An  mvitatioa  had  been  sent  to  the  Chamber 

i"g  for  Europe,  was  appointed  as  its  representative' 
The  vmw«^  one  of  eWdinaiy  interest    TW     * 
g-on  brought togetheranumberTf  eminent eng^Ieet 

a^ent Of  kingdom,,  j;j:^^-^^e-^ 

prfc^myadingtheh,ndofthePy«mid& 

finf  t""t  *"  ^"*'*""*  "'»'"  *•■«  first  of  May  to 

.     ,  <ione,  and  a  large  part  of  it  '      - 


^»"6«Sff^rship.    This 


JWa^lreadjK^cafed^ 
^was  an  operation  of  much 


& 


'     \ 


I*'-' 


./ 


'X 


294       HISTOHT  OF  IHE  ATLANTIO  TELEOKAra. 

■  interesvwhioh  deserve,  to  be  described    The  n«u>„ 

^tu.  bad  beg„„  on  ,be  fl.t  „f  SepW«r,  It^ 

,       ^ne  on  for  eight  month,  without  ceasing,  the  work, 

Zni""^  °"""  "  *'^  even'inring^ 

Bhort^y,  of  winter.    A,  the  spring  adv«nee|  and 

he  days  grew  longer,  the  amount  was  of  course  mueh 

"Ceased,    But  by  the  last  of  January  they  had  1 

7 J,  '"r"*'^  "•""'  "■■'»  "undr^mile,  of  1^. 
Pkted  cable,  when  began  the  long  and  tedious  wor^rf 
Werring  it  to  the  ar«.t  Ba««m.  It  was  thClw 
becau^  rt  could  not  be  made  directly  from  the  yard  to 
the  sh,p.  The  depth  of  water  at  oLnwich  wLl^ 
.«eh  as  to  allow  the  G..at  Eastern  to  be  btlTt  „p 

thir^  m,les  below,  and  the  cable  had  to  be  nut  on 
thT^  "'  '^"r  *-^  "^-^^  ■'o™  to  wherelty  n 

nBhed  to  the  Company  two  old  hulksi  the  Iri,  ,„d 

he  Ametbys,  which  took  their  loa^  tur^"^*:^ 

the  former  had  laken  on  board  some  two  hundJa^d 

of  the  Great  Easter,  and  the  other  took  her  phi 

speed.   With  aU  the  men  who  could  be  employed  thev 
coiled  on  board  only  about  two  mile,  L  hour  o^ 
^enty  miles  a  day-at  which  rate  it  wo^dtaL  .^ 
Ave  month.    The  woric  began  o,  the  .j^t^  . 


'.■^  \^ 


,  :     HISTOBT  OP  TAB  iTZ^mo  TELEOB^H.      296 

Weno^orbtr   it  J""  "^  ""  ^  --- 
oable  in  as  few      i  *"  ''''•"°*  *°  '^^  the 

all    ■  M  "■  '^''''°-    '^^' ''  «uld  not  be 

If  coUed  i    1  Ir-lf --  ■>-  «o  -"  fearful,,, 
"oarly  fill  AstW.,:  ''°"''"'*^  **'  ''  ''°"W 

bulk  and  weiJ   iw      .     ^''"'^  *""■'  ^""""o"" 
one  afl,  onTa^l   ;i^;^V»  '^  *»°'^-    , 
ter,  from  the  shape  of.l.!;'"^-    ^''^ '"'• 
than  the  othera^  Lm      ,   '^'  ''^  "^  '''"'=  -""« 
three  «Ues  rcTle  tLlhet  ""^'^  ''■"^-  """^- 
«e  over  eight  huXd  Uh  "if"'™' "«"  " '"-  , 
tbick  wrought  Jrv^r,     i  .  ^^^®  "^^^^^  of 

mersed/n  the  sea.  "^^  '*  ^^  ^- 

doo^to  tate  in  theVtlanStb^tdtn       ""^ 
wa^  and  wide  and  h.'cri.  +k  *  "^"^  ^  »^    - 

A  verge  anTr^f  2^X1'"^^  "  ^°™'' 


"ffires  monster  of  the  sflaTi.   j     ^^^  oehad  it,  how 
tbe  sea»  she  devoui^  all  that  other 


# 


-WJ 


^^  ^- 


s^ ,.-»'). 


mi. 


'  .Y'-f^'*^.^^.; 


296 


HlBI^Rr  OP  THE  ATL^o  TKLEaUPU. 


3hips  could  bring.    The  Iris  and  the  Amethv«. 

"P  time  afte'r  time  and  disiror^^  M    ^^^^^^^  ^"^« 

#W  It  IS  time  that  we  should  look  afb-r  „v  . 
W,  „.i„,y  «.,,  ^        ^^  te wit.    t!?*     . 
""tense  astonishment  we  beholrt  I        T   ^ '  " 

»fo™ed  that  the„  a^ ;^t" ''  ^        I  *°"«'' 
;U'^aa,onhoaM.anari':i:*7^-^ 

-^n.':rrrh-^---:s 

»a  aown  on  theXTo^^r eI'   't  ^' 

On.  the  side  ODDosite  +^  «^t,  ^'^  ^®^r<^- 

«-«  deck  ofTltfter"'  """'^'  ■'"P  •»>- 

Md  ftom  this  vessel  rtr^JT    ^«  *  '«>'««• 
»B  vessel  the  wonderful  tdesp^h  ^ble  is 

,...      .    *....    ....     - ,        >!L--„„-__ .-_^„ 


/     ;    :,-dM- 


v.^^^'^^-^xir-iJ^  j™  t 


■:m''i^  ' 


,i>»i«r*-   I 


I    ■ 


V 

PH. 

ijst  came 
contents. 
>hip-load, 
rho  visit- 
n  board, 
^Q  deck, 
ppeared.  «r 
he  tells 
scribing 
3r  sides 

'hat  we 
To  our 

ihough 
il^of 
'  piece 

John 
Ik  up 
Ithout 
[ether 

hav- 
^the 
oard. 
elow 

sur-       ^ 
>use, 
leis 


t  ' 

HIBTOBY  OF  THE   att  *>t™,, 

THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOBAPH.      297 

^  drawn  silently  into  f].«  ; 

•  >y.  by  means  ofTsLl  at"  "  "^"""^  '"''  ■">'-'-- 

-uld  never  .hiniTC  LuLr*^  °'"  "^  ">  ^ 
■       i"ch  in  diameter  wS  t    ,         """  ~"''  "'»'"  "" 

.    ™«o°3 ;  nay,  which  mJ^T  *"  ^-^  °^  '"'«'« 
Won.    Following  the  dLf  '°^^  "^  <='""«'- 

'•«  « little  wooden  cabin  andllT.  °""^''"'' 

"t  the  side,  into  an  iml  ""''  °™'' "  ""i-'S 

>  'UTO  an  Hnmense  cavern  below     Ti,- 
,  em  IS  one  of  tha  three  '  ta„u.  i  •      ,s  ™  """'• 

^nd-mile  cable  iT^  ° '"^'""•'«*°-*»°- 

a  beant^  suit  r^^'r  "='"^*"«''"  •-  '» 
mense  depth  belowl/  °"  '^''*  "'  'h«™- 

passes  to  its  bed     ^n^^     «**  wnose  hands  the  coil 

-;  something  liteKi.g^^./'^"''  ""«  "^  '^'>  . 
'f^  »*«  ™" -n^!  .W.7  to  ft.  w«. 


-ffi^^lFds  of-^hich  rise  „p  f,om  the  dar..  deep  o.. 


~t)- 


h> 


'U^ 


hi 


'  <p 


-^ 


;;^ 


298 


HISTORY  6W  THE  ATlIntIO  TELEGRAPH. 


.era  w,^h  startling  effec^  and  produce  an  indescribable 
impression. 

«re  tofanj;  charge  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  cable  is 
Haum,[,g  „3  ,ii,  ,  d-ean..  la  vain  ttoonr  guide 
induct,  us  all  over  the  big  ship,  through  n^nro^ 

g^Uenes,  passages,  etairoasea,  and p,«meu«de*;  thmug-h 
g^^geous  saloons,  full  of  n,ir,o,^  „„„,,  ;^„^^ 

and -upholstery,  n.ade  'regariless  of  e^p^nse,-  Z 
through  buildings  crowded  with  Mn^ri       7        ' 
ti4,~.t,„„f  ■       .   iS"™""™  S"ttermg  steam  ap- 
»  of  g,ga„t,<^'ensions,  whe«  the  latent  iK>we, 
of  coal  and  water  creates  the  force  which  pmper.his 
monster  ressel  over  the  «as.    In  vain  o«  4ntion 
«  d.«c.ed  to  all  these  sights ,  we  do  not  adnu™  t  ™ 
our  imagination  is  used  up.    The  echo  of  the  saUore- 
.onfe  in  the  womb  of  the  Great  Eastern  wi4  n"t  ^ 
.finished  f^m  our  mind.    It  «dses  visions  of/  the  fn- 
tureof  the  mystic  iron  coil  under  our  feejfe-W  it  will 
roll  forth  aigain  flomite  narrow  berth;  UlKfs^V 
to  the  bottom  of  tM«lanac  or  hangfflHSfc 
to  mountain  far  below  the  stormy  wa'STanThow 
t^og«at  nations,  ofli^ring,  of  one  race  and  pioneer, 
^"^f?"™'  ^  -P^  through  m  wond«L  Z 
«unkla|mg  distance  and  time.    Who  c«i  help  drZ 
^  pn  ttS  spot  where  we  stand?    For  it  is  truly  ' 
!"7fto«oeof  civilization,  this  Great  Bast, 
ind  this  Ittotic  Telegraph  cable.    Even  should 


r 


,?.^ 


^% 


&>fW'f4:::  Wl  ■ 


•/ 1 


/r 


L>'i»> 


HiSTORr  OF  THE   AVprivrm,  ^' 

^B  ^LANTIO  TELEGRAPH.       299 

our  age  produce  nothing  ijse  it  «i. 

triumph  of  outage  »    ^  T  '  ""^"^^  "^^  the 

wonder-aeeke,,  ca„o  down  1^  ^'r'' ""*<^  "^ 
preparations,  ib>  the  exn J-.-T     i°°''°''  *"  «*  *>>« 

•    ---d  the  ^t  ;1     ."  r"^'"""-'  ■•"  «^»g 

;»«edth.f:::tt,;:4»f^^'--w: 

.^'^es  «.n..t„te  tt^;n   "IT"""^  "^ 
lint  the  Britfeh  islands  w^^  T       '"'""'  ™  «° 
•    yond  the  sea.  ^  *  '"'  f""'  ^""""io"^  be-  . 

t^'.eliS^l-:;"^- the  cable  w„       ^ 

•»«■>  in  a  constant  whir]  Ctl     ?*"  '^°*'^  •"«»        ^ 
tintIingofabella„„„      f      °l'"'"'"°'J-    The        ^ 

<»lyi«n«nedthatifsho^K  f  ^^pH    » 

""ip  prepared  ii^tf  vl^^fc^^ 

«x  weeks  be&„  she  was  ready  ^  "1^"' '   '"« 

»  n>«y  weU  be  belieyed  that  it  ,.1 
^  «l«ip  sneh  an  expeltl    b  J^  I"""  '^'^ 
yen  of  the  cble  ifeU;  the  Zlt  t!„f.I°°r *" 


-tak&-oR  bogRf 


-™n  or  «ighHhou«Jd  tons  of  ooal 


•JStiaiF 


Eastern  1^4- 


•.^i-aSv.iX-'.'BS*  >o.ilfi 


19  Y  t^kTr:^  'iTW*wjp^"XVT"  ~*^ 


-% 


,       800      BISlOEr  Of  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEGDAPa 

enough  for  a  fleet,  to  feed  her  fl:^    Then  she  carried 
about  fi^e^hnndred  Men,  for  whom  she -had  to  male 

The  Stores  lajd  «  were  enough  for  a  smaU  army 
Standing  on  the  wheel-house,  and  looking  do*n7^' 
n.ght  fa.ey  himself  in  some  large  Wyld  of  En^ 

^nd.  There  Stood  the  motherly  cow  t  J  was  to^4 
aem  mUt ,  and  a  dozen  o«n,  and  twenty  pigs,  afd  ^ 
hundred  and  twenty  sheep,  while  whofe  fl^fa  „f 
ducks  and  geese  and  fowls  of  every  ti„d,  eaeUed  I 

ursr^f^r^""?"-^'^.^- 

«ua  oi  Darreis  of  provisions,  of  meats,  and  fruite 
-re  Stored  in  the  well-stocked  larder  Wow    ^u^s 

^.ghti  irftludmg  her  own  machinery,  of  twenty-one 
thousand  ton^  burden  almost  as  ^t  as  IZ 
We  been  carHed  by  the  whole  fleel  with  ^0. 
Nelson  fought  the  battle  of  Trafalgar 

wa^^cft^":  1 1'""'""  '""  '^'  P*"-=  ™"^'^ 
was  exc^tod,  and  there  was  an  extraordinary  desire  to 

^n^the  approaching  attempt    The  Comply"  ^ 

8.on  to  accompany  the  expedition.    H*i  these  re- 
quests  been  granted,  on  the  scale  asked  e™„  7^ 
dmrensi^rs  of  the  Gr^t  Eastomt^aT:^^"  ^ 

been  sufflorent  for  the  c^Vds  on  board.    TrL'd 

was  mo«t  pr«ssine  for  d1»v<.  *>-„,-.  o<«n<>nd 

r       "S  ror  places  fcr  newspaper  ooriflspond- 


I  iUi-Su^.,    .juiiATi  /  jLh  ItiL . 


:,iitan 


'fi-f'^'^T  -« 


a. 


."iH 


tie  carried 
to  make 
e  at  sea. 
all  annj. 
o^n,  one 
1  of  Eng- 
s  to  give 
gs,  and  a 
;ocks  of 
kckled  as 
Jk,  hun- 
i  finits, 
.    Thus 
in  her  a 
ntj-one 
8  could 
which 

iridsity 
Jsire  to 
ly  was 
»ermis- 
!se  re- 
)  large 
have 
)mand 
ipond* 


HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLATOO  TELEGBAPH.       Sfll 

71    ''•'f '"=*■"«  »<"  <>■">  ftom  England,  but  from 
rTance  and  America      A7r««c*  .  ""  "um 

-ul   waa  what  migh^  have  been  ejected.    Aa  ' 
™  .mpo^ible  to  satisfy  <,«,  and  to  dUorimina^i 
fivor  of  some,  and  exclude  othe..,  would  seem  partill 

0^  m  England  and  ,n  the  United  States  at  what  was 

drbrwh":""^'"'  ^"'"""^""""y- «-  ■"" 

doubtful  whelier  any  other  possible  course  would 

have  given  better  satisfaction. 

Whether  the  Managers  erred  in  this  or  not    it 
should  be  said  that  thev  aoolied  th.  ..  ^ 

hie  ri,l«  .^.  .1,        •,  ^PP"«a  the  same  mexora- 

We  rule  to  themselves-even  direotora  of  the  Oom 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  expedition  was 
not  under  the  control  of  the  A-Uantio  Telegraph  cr 
pany  at  aU,  but  of  the  Telemnl,  n     .  f 

Maintonance  Company,  lun^^^d:;::  7^ 
work  m  fulfilment  of  a  contract  with  the  fo^  Co  '  " 

and  appomtmg  the  office,^  and  .ending  i.^^      * 


to%-ltdbwn.    Of 


sap- 


course  it  had  an  enormous 


.i';>.4iii:£i  iJi'iSM   ;■ 


::»  -. 


'y^w 


802 


HISTO^  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

• 


stake  in  the  result    Hence  it  fdi^  not  only  authorised, 
but  bound,  to  organize  the  expedition  solely  with  refer- 
ence  to  success.    It  was  not  a  voyage  of  pleasure,  bat 
for  business;  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  and 
most  difficult  undertaking.    Hence  it  was  right  that    " . 
most  strict  rules  should  be  adopted.    Accordingly";  ''» 
there  was  not  a  man  on  boiml  who  had  not  some  busi- 
ness-there.    As  the  voyage  promised  to  be  one  of  the 
utmost  practical  interest  to  electricians  and  engineers 
several  young  men  were  received  as  assistants  in  the 
testmg-room  or  in  the  engineer'  department ;  but  there 
was  no  person  who  was  not  in  some  way  engaged  on 
the  busmess  of  one  or  the  other  company, 7,  con- 
nected  with  the  management  of  the  ship.    Except 
Mr.  Field    not  an  Atlantic  Tdegmph  Director  L 
com^m^  the  expedition ,   and  he  represented  also 
the  Newfoundland  Company.    Mr.  Goooh,  M.P.  was 
"^  '""="  '  ^'"^^  °f  ae  Telegmph  Construction  and 
MamtMance  Company,  and  Chairman  of  the  Board 
%t  owned  the  Great  Easterh,  and  so  repre«mted 

■^  tlt:.rT  ^'"''  "^  "  ^"»'  »  ^''> 
Thus  the  whole  business  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Company.  ' 
It  had  Its  own  officers  to  man  the  erpedidon-tie 
oaptan  and  crew  to  sail  the  ship-ite  enginee«  to 
laythecable-anditselectriciMBtofa^tjt     Krm  th. 


i-t 


SAjS'Ll^i 


•-v^''4'^^V;Tf.,rv, 


--1-    7-'-  vi' 


I  iJ 


■   1         —     ■'^•tiVV 


HISTOBr  OF  THE-ATLiimo  TELEGRAPH.       SOS 

eminent  electriciana,  Profeasor  Thomson  and  Mr.  Var- 
Jey,  who  were  on  board  in  ti,.         •  ^"^^  »<«^ 

tie  Tele^ranh  r!  ^"""^  "^  ""^  ^"'«'- 

'0  ieiegraph  Company,  were  not  allowed  to  inter 
fere,  n^  ««  ^  ^-^  ^^  „^,^  .  ^  J  ^'^^- 

wnling,  an*  then  it  was  f^  K.     ■ 

Tl..,v  „«  "  was  to  be  given  m  writing. 

Their  office  was  only  to  test  the  eable  when  laid  to 

Z.  "7!""  ''""«'  "  *■"■"  N-foundh.nd  L  ie 
land,  and  to  report  it  complete.  '  • 

So  rigorons  were  the  rules  which  governed  this    ' 
~ble  voyage.    The  whole  en4rise  1 1 

manT  d  V  T"''*"'^  ""  "  ■"'™'  «ion.    EveX 
man  had  h,s  place.    As  when  a  ship  S^going  i^^ 

tie,  every  body  is  sent  below  that  has  nbt  Ce  b^  ' 

-  n^  on  deot,  so  it  is  not  stooge  that  in  such  TJZ  ' 

ente^^theydidnotwantahostofsupemnmer.^ 

Yet  the  Company  was  not  unminafnl  of  the  aniiety 
of   he  pubho  for  news,  and  since  it  oonld  not  Z   ' 

oo^pondentoTftir^^trSr 
^  .n  W  This  brilliant  wri.»r  was  eng^" 
^my  the  e^pedition-not  to  praise  wiSfdi^ 
»t.on,  bat  to  «port  events  fiithfolly  from  day 

iJtL  t.     """  '^-"P«^«'  by  «ve«a  .rtis^  to  il 
:^^^^'^'>mp^T97m    Thus  the  oLp^- 


vi  ' 


^ 


(-ae^werr  provision  to  furnish  infor^to^T^ 


i»^>< 


i^mSSi^  tax  tt3tf  AM  f^  H4i^ 


V"1s     t 


,  entertainment  to  the  public.  Several  of  these  gentl* 
-n  a^rward  w^te  aocoun,.  for  di  W  ^at 
z  nes-Blaek^ood,  CornhiU,  and  MacmiUan'.  ^ 
different  report.,  aad  especially  the  volume  of  ^ 

oHh"*  r  f  •°''  "^  i"»«'«tion3  from  dn.S 
of  the  arw^  {^^^  ^he  publie  as  full  and  eomTlX 
an  account  as  if  there  had  been  a  special  co~T 

..  ^!^  u  ''"^'"'  "  '*''S»  ''^^  ^'r  Pfoperlv  ex 
oluded,  the  organization  on  board  was  ne^.  ^ 
comolete      At  «,.  i,    j  perfect  and 

mpiete.    At  the  head  was  Captain  Anderson    of 
whom  we  have  alreadv  soofcen      A.  i.-    ,    .        '  °^ 

he  manifold  and  ine^irt\  f^  '"^  ^""''^ 

.    »'«'  meieasing,  he  had  requested  the  aid 

Wis  Jdt  .^  ^^  "  '^*  ^«»»^»on  in  1858 
was  penmtted  by  the  Admiralty  to  acoomDanvT» 
«l..p.  and  to  give  the  invaluable  aid  of^TS  *' 
and  skill.    Th. government  al«,gen2:,yrr^ 
two  eh,ps  of  war,  the"  Sphinx  anlthe  rL^t 
attend  the  Great  ^^.    Thus  the  whote^uir 
»»t  of  the  expedSn  was  English     Of  17' 
Hundred  meri  on  board  the  ereat'E^^er^^^t  t: 
but  one  American,  and  that  was  Mr.  Field 

The  engineering  department  was  under  cha™  of 
Mr.  Samuel  Canaimr  whn  oa  tv^  ®^ 


I  .  <-  -  -j~ 


I 


■  j,\fit^  isiva,  l^i-A-tei^.V ' .  4< 


'SW- 


taV,/^;^- 


,         '•'   ff^-i,  '_'     /O]-"^" 


H.SK,Br  OF  T^B  ATLAimc  mKGBAPH.      305 

^e  Teleg^ph  Coo3trictioo  and  Maintenance  Com- 
.        W,  was  oh,ef  in  command  in  aU  matte.;  re^ 

no  better  man  conid  have  been  chosen.    Before  the 

TW  was  ended,  he.had  am^Ie  opportunity  to  shl 

i^  r^nrces.    He  was  aWy  seconded  by  Mr  Henry 

.  Clriford.    Both  these  gentlemen  had  been  on  boardZ 

^gamemnoninthetwoEipeditionsoflSSa    They 

^eTrth'^T  '^'^  ■"  "^'"^  -""■-^ 

I  r  .      '  *^^'«™''««''  and  other  sea,.    It  was  ' 

chnery  had  been  brought  to  such  perfection,  that 
aronghout  tie  voyage  it  worked  without  a  ingle 
hU.W  jar.    They  had  an  invaluable  helper  in^l! 

The  electrical  dq«rtment  w  J  under  charge  of  Mr 
^  &uty,  who  had  had  long  experience  S  submai 
nne  telegraphs,  and  who  was  4ed  by  an  efficient 
»J  of  assis.^^^  p„,^,  thom^n  a^rt 
Jarley,  as  we  have  said,  represoited  the  Atlantic 
Comp  ^,  these  genUemen  h^  been  r^g 

1  fl^  "'"■'u&cture  and  afte*  it  was  coUed  in 
the  Great  Eastern.  The  result  of  their  repeated  tsl 
was  U,  demonstrate  that  the  cable  ^as  luZ  Z^ 

-^SS^dehcaoy  did  they  test  the  current  of  electr,^ 


•     l/' 


•8- 


«# 


/ 


.    f 


M 


^  >, 


X 


3di8       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


sent  through  it,  that  it  was  determined  that  o£  one 
thousand  partB,  over  nine  hundred  and  ninetjTnin^ 
.   came  out  at  the  other  end  I  -         \       \ 

^To  complete  this  organization  and  equipment  cajused 
such  delays  as  excited  the  impatience  of  all  on  board. 
But  at.  length,  when  midsummer  had  fully  come— at 
noon  of  Saturday,  July  fifteenth— the  song  of  the  sail- 
ors sounded  \)aQ  clnnt  du  depwrt.     The -Great  Eastern 
was  then  lying  at  the  Nore,  and  she  seemed  to  cling -to 
the  English  soil  which  she^had  griped  with  a  huge. 
Trotman  weighing  seven  tons,  held  fast  by  a  chain 
whereof^ every  link  weighed  seventy  pounds!      To 
wrench  this  ponderous  anchoi^  from  its  bed  required 
the  united  strength  of  near  two  hundred  men.    At  last 
the  bottom  let  go  its  liold,  the' anchor  swings  to  the  ^^ 
bow,  the  gun  is  fired,  and  the  voyage  is  begun.    A 
fleet  of  yachts  and  boats  raise  their  cheers  as  the 
mighty  hull  begins  to  move.    But  mark  how  carefully 
'  she  feels  her  way,  following  the  lead  of  yonder  little 
steamer,  the  i^orcupine,  the  same  faithful  guide  that 
seven  years  before  led  the  Iffagara  up  Trinity  Bay 
one  night  when  the  feint  light  of  stars  twinkled  on 
all  the  surrounding  hills.    Slowly  they  n^  the  sea. 
Now  the  cliflfe  of  Dover  are  in  sight,  and  bidding  her 
escort  adieu,  the  Grpat  Eastern  glides  alon^  by  the 
beautiful  Isle  of  Wight^  and  then  quickening  her 
speed,  with  a  royal  sweep,  ghe  moves  down  the  Ch^jy.  __ 


[c '(■;#/.'■'' 


«Jl8-"?«    ^«r|tigJf.nyj«*f?-^„ »    ,    _^ 


■Ti 


■<fc.  • 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       307 

nel.  Off  Falmouth  she  picked  up  the  Caroline  a 
small  steamer,  which  had  left  several  dajs  before 
with  the  shore  end  on  board.  She  was  laboring 
heavily  witl|  her  burden,  and  made  little  headway 
in  the  rough  waves.  But  the  Great  Eastern  took  her 
in  tow,  and  she  followed  like  a  ship's  boat  in  the  wake 
of  the  monarch  of  the  seas. 

Thus  they  passed  round  to  the  coast  of  Ireland  to 
that  Valentia  Bay  where,  eight  years  before,  the  Earl 
of  Carlisle  gave  his  benediction  on  the  departure  of 
the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon,  and  where,  a  year 
later,  the  gallant  English  ship  brought  her  end  of  the 
cable  safely  to  the  shore. 

The  point  of  landing  had  been  changed  from  Ya- 
lentia  harbor  five  or  sii  miles  to  Foilhommerura  Bay 
a  wild  spot  where  huge  clife  hang  over  the  waves 
that  here  come  rolling  in  from  the  Atlantic.     On  the 
top,  an  old  tower  of  the  time  of  Cromwell  tells  of  the 
bloody  days  of  England's  great  civil  war.    It  is  now 
but  a  mossy  ruin.    Here  the  peasante  who  flocked  in 
from  the  country  pitched  their  booths  on  the  green 
sward,  and  looked  down  from  the  dizzy  heights  on 
the  boate  dancing  in  the  bay  below.    At  the  foot  of 
the  clifl^  a  soft,  sandy  beach  forms  a  bed  for  the  c^ble 
and  here,  as  it  issues  from  the  sea,  it  is  led  up  a  chan- 
nel which  had  been  cut  for  it  in  the  rocks. 


Ab^  *o  shore  Md  was  very  massive  and  uawieldj, 


y 


t-- 


* 


^l|?Aiii,'^V   I  !  M, 


.l',V'4siitC-<'.tyia«i!i<* 


'•' '•'^'W^a 


808    H'^^Br  o/i^,  ^,,^<,  ^^^^^_ 

.  it  could  not  be  laid  excent  ;„ 
«.o -.  was  no.  ™„;CX   "rtr"^^""^  2" 

which  son^atimes  break  „i,hfu„  Tif     ,!f  "^ 
coast  ^  '"'  ""^  root-bound 

WOen  on!e  it  rn.r«^'^*r  ^'.''^  ^^'^• 
.     steamer  beg.n  to  n.ove  Idl  w   ""^''^  "* 

'««■'  tefely  laid,  and  tho  end  buo.T  ""« 

"on^swate.    A  dispateh  .LTonl  ^r^''™ 

»-W  of  Yalentia,  she  p^Lt^:  .^"^^  "-o 
iin.  which  she  ^ehed  a'boTn^^  X  °''"- 
menced  spUcing  the  n«ssive  sC™  e"d  1^  '"''- 
deep-sea  line.    This  was  a  workn^         ^     '  """* 

^°^e  on  to  Sunday  before  th^ 


HISTOKT  OF  THB  ATLANTIC  TEL.OKAPH.       309 

W  Eastern  wa«  ready  to  begiriW  voyage.    This 
wh^ch  acme      .ght  count  a  deletion  „T  the  hi 

tw  Siz:  ^".'"''  '"'•'^'"  ''°~^' 

■    o~   wh^     ^         ™  ^"^  ""  ^"-^V.  ''"oh  sail. 
2  t  P"™'"»n7  ^pemitions,  would  have 

^ght  an  nnlucky  beginning.  But  Sunday,  in  the" 
-^».  -»  good  day.  They  like,  when  a  ship" 
movng  out  of  sight  of  land,  .hat  .he  last  soundTom 
tte  shonsshould  be  fe.blessed  Sabbath  bells.    If^" 

Te  ir""'"^^  *°-^^^' "'  ^-' » s^^^'tb 

peace  rested  on  sea  and  alrw     n  ™  . 

evemW     Tt  *°°°^-    I' was  a  calm  summer's 

evening.    The  sun  was  just  sinking  in  the  waves  as 

waited  on  either  hand,  to  attend  her  royal  progress 

^^go.eJigh.w.sthrorirtr::r:r: 

toward  thcT  bow^  as  if  te  indicate  and  illumine  Z 
path  marked  on.  by  the  hand  of  heaven  "mj!     ' 
"-edomeni    Hadit  been  the  fleet  of  Columbltu 

upon  thcr  knees  on  those  decks,  and  burst  forth  in  « 
A«  Mam  t»  the  gentle  Mistress  of  the  Seas.     We 

•ttUKWtTBf  invoked  a  benediction. 


is**'*"-"*"^"-^.; 


310      HISTOBr  o/the  ATLANTIC  p^^OBAPH...  ^ 

In  other  respects  the  day  was  w^ll  ^1,  ^ 

^n  Ande^on  had  wished  to  sail  on  theTalthh^ 
of  June,  or  the  twenty-second  of  Julv    '  Tp^^^'f 

fcbe  full  moon  on  fh.  a  ^'  ^°  ^ ^^  °^*«b 

moon  on  the  American  coasf     TT^  ^•-,;;-     i 

'  ptJ:ar:ifr^^--Swfrs 
-j«a..as.r::i;rs-::;- 

pectatioa  was  realized    To  the  1»i-  «k-      i    ^ 
^as  as  an  inland  lake     Th!  n    -^^   '^  ""^  '^*'' 
thepreduotT  J^''«PV">g'>"lfmaohiner,r- 

<ke  cable  ^ded^to  ^^^f  :;rt  '"  '^• 
-«.ed  but  a  holida,  aiE. ICj;'^  :^,nr  ""r^' 

iSri'""''''^'^'''^-^-"-"^*^^^^^^^^ 

tH„™r'''''°^^»'.'°='-P'-<'--fane:^ 

board  with  tl  hea^°S,l '  «""  "''»'''>  "^  «»      ^ 

ing  breaks  ea^Hr^^'^H-lT^  '''^'"°"- 
o'clock aU  wereon^rJ^fJ*'"'':^  ■"■*  ""y  «>" 
for  the  cause  of  ^^  '  t^^  T"™  '"""^  '""'"'™S 
if  her  ToyaBe  had  ITV    ^  ''"''  '"'  '^■""g  «««.  as 

cian.wi.htu^edSenlZr'"""''''''''^*^-        ^ 
-^-Hete.n.^5;:-»^^ 


'W^^ 


-a' 


4.PH. 


/^ 


n.'^ 


waa 


Qii 


jf)  Cap 


a  Jo  catch 
e  desired 
ds  which 
the  wind 
I  very  ex- 
ae  ocean 
linery — 
■  worlced 
f  speed, 
9  that  "it 
jonder 
it  even- 
he  sea. 
in  easy 

ra  had 
all  on 
morn- 
^  four    « 
airing 
ill,  as 
lectri- 
land 
kept 


^v 


niSTOEV  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TmEOBAPB.        31] 

darkened,  looked  like  a  siek^hamber  when,  «o„e 
«>yal  pauent  lay  trembling  between  life  and  death.  ' 
r„,!,N  r    .    ■""*  bj.  the  electricians  to  discover  a' 

ia^  n         r'  ''"""^  ■""  '""'"^  -  ^''^  ^"^ 
marvellous  perfechon  of  the  instrnments  which  science 

employs  to  ieam  the  secrets  of  nature.   The  galvano-  • 

iheter  ,3  an  invention  of  Professor  Thomson,  by  which 

-a  ray  of  light  reflected  from  a  tiny  mirror  suspended 

to  a  magnet  travels  along  a  scale,  aad  .indicates  the  re-  ' 

^sistance  to  the  passage  of  the  current  through  the  cable 
by  the  deflection  of  the  magnet,  which  is  marted  by 

the  course  of  this  speck  of  light.    If  the  light  of  the     ' 

mirror  travels  beyond  the  inde==,  or  out  of  .bounds,  an 

'  t^*^  »  •*«  «™nt  i»  taking  place,  and  wbai  is 

technically  called  a  feult  has  occurred."    Such  was 

ae  .bscovery  on  Monday  moaning.    At  a  quarter 

'past  th«c  o'clock  the  elecWcian  on  duty  saw  the 

light  suddenly  glide  to  ,he  end  of  the  scale  and  there 

vanisn. 

Fortunately  it  was  not  a  fatal  injury.    It  did  not 
prevent  signalling  through  the  cable,  and  a  message 

the  check  that  had  been  received.    But  the  clectrto     • 
current  dad  not  flow  freely.    There  was  a  leak  at  ^ 
some  point  of  the  line  which  it  wonld  not  be  prudent  \ 
topa»over.    They  were  now  seventy-thre^  miles 
^m  ahnro,  hamisron  t»atfflgfaiy.foar  nffls  sraBIeT'^ 


0% 


-^ 


'■'i^^^'-       ^t^"' 


JrJ  "Vi  .''i»S-^  ^^^ 


tmm»m»n,t, 


'v^W^ 


-^ 


f 


"812 


Hi;3rORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEaRAPff. 


The  te«ts  of  the  eleet'riciaTO  indicated  tfie  fault  to  be 
ten  or  a  dozen  miles  froo«;  the  ^ra  of  the  ship.    The 
only  safe  course  was -to  gabaTcf  and  get  this  on  ^oard 
and  cut  out  the  defective  pojtionr   It  was  d  most  un'' 
grateful  operation  thus  to  be  undoing  their  own  work, 
but  there  was  no  help  for  it. 

Such  accidents,  had  been  anticipated^  and  before 
the  Great  Eastern  left  England,  she  had  been  pro- 
vided with  machinery  to  be  used  in  case  of  neces- 
fiitj  for  "picking  up"  th^  cable.      But^this  proved 
rather  an  unwieldy  affair.    It  w^  at  the  bow,  and 
as  the  paying-out  machine  was  at  the  stern,  the  ship 
had  to  be  got  round,  and  the  cable,  which  must  first 
be  cut,  had  to  be  transferred  from  one  end  to  the  ' 
other.    This  was  no,^  an  easy  matter.    The' Great    ' 
Eastern  was  an  eighth  of  a  mile  long,  and  to  carrv 
.the  cable  along  her  sides  for  this  distance,  and  over 
W  hi^  wheel-houses,   was  an  operation  at  once   .. 
t^ious  and  diffidult. 

But  at  length  the  ship's  head  was  brought  round, 
and  the  end  of  the  cable  Kfted  over  the  bow,  and 
grasped  by  the  pulling-in  machine,  and  the  engine  be- 
gan to  puff  with  the  labor  of  raising  the  cable  from 
the  depths  of  the  ocean.  '^  Fortui&tely  they  wenj 
only  in  four  oj  five  hundred  fethoms  water,  so  that 
the  strain  was  not  great.  But  tlie  engine  worked 
poorly,  and   the  operation  was  veiy  slow.     Witfi 


U 


_. » 


■  "'™«^  O^  T1(J  ATcLlO  TOLEOIUPH.       818 

ma«  than  a  mUo  an  hourli  But  patience  and  conr- 
age,  (iough  u  take..ril  (Wy  and  ail  night!*    The 
Great  Eastern  does  her  dnty  well,  steaming  ilowly 
bMk  toward  Ireland,  whUo  the  engine  puUs,  and  the 
eable  comes  up,  though  reluctantly,  from  the  sea,  till 
.on  Tn^daj  morning  at  peven  o'clock,  when  they 
have  hauled  in  a  little  o«r  ten  toiles,  the  cause  of 
oflfenee  ^  brought  on  board.    It  is  found  to  be  ,  small 
p.eoe  of  wire,  not  longer  than  a  needle,  that  by  some 
acodent  (for  they  did  not  then  suspect  a  desig!,)  had 
been  dnyen  through  the  outer  coyer  of  the  cable  tUl 
It  touched  the  core.    There  was  thesowee  of  &  the 
mischief    It  was  this  pin's  point  which  pricked  this 
y.tal  chord  opening  a.minute  passage  through  which 
the  eleetm^,  Kke  a  jet  of  blood  from  a  pierced  ar- 
tery, went'iireaming  into  the  sea.    It  was  with  an 
almost  angry  feeling,  as  if  to  punish  it  for  its  intru- 
sion that  thos  insignificant  and  contemptible  source  of 
trouble  was  snatched  from  its  place,  the  wounded  piece 
of  cable  was  cut  oS,  and  a  splice  made  and  the  work 

*■  -  ■     ■ 

.  •  "All  during  the  Sight  the  process  of  nicking  up  was  carefully  car 


> 


'^''-'^''t^''i-^^,^wmmm.Li..'--m«^ 


1 


Wf%  . 


^i,',J.^^\^,. 


L.'- 


314      BISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLJmiO  TMOEAPa.         ' 

Of  pa^ag  out  renewed.    But  it  was  four  o'clock  in 

resume  the  vojage.    A  fuU  day  aud  a  half  had  Ln 
lost  by  th,s  miserable  piece  of  wire 

«tatety  sl»p,  once  more  turning  to  the  West,  moves 
ah«^  w,th  a  steady  composure,  as  if  no  petty  t"*k 
2'd  vex  ter  tranquil  mind.    Throughout  the  voZe 

at^^t"^  mX™::"''':*''-^^''^''^ 

-H  a  g.™  demr,  ti7:nr::frr  ir 

ner,  and  to  cast  her  burden  on  the  sea. 
The  el«,tricians,  too,  were  elated,  and  with  Kason 

C:  ?f°"°"  °'*^  <"*  '^  aemonst^ted  by^^ 
hours  e:q,enence.     At  intervals  of  thiriy  ZnuZ 
day  and  n,ght,  tests  we«  ifessed  f^m  ship  .o  TC 
and  to  the  delight  of  all,  instead  of  finding  the 72'      ' 
toon  weakened,  it  steadily  improved  JZZ^^ 
bought  mto  contact  with  the  cold  depths  of  1 Z 

when  a  little  after  noon  there  was  again  »  orv  fh>m 

^S'  "hisT  T  *""■ ""« -- --d^ -" 

"■  Pam.    This  time  the  fault  was  more  «„Ho...  ,t... 


B,£&ft.«^.»;i.  i'Hi^'LL,  «  .      i^-r  i«„" 


ife 


_^t'S^.fc': 


r'lHi^y- 


'-  -r^"(. 


-^m 


.         ^'^"^  °^  THE  ATLAlmo  TELEGBAPB.      816 

before.  The  electricians  looked  very  grave  for  tl,.^ 
had  .truck  "dead  earth,"  that  is,  the  i^^llt^I ''2 
oompletely  des.«.,ed,  and  the  electric  oorrent  Z 
escaping  into  the  sea.    ,  ■         i  was 

revl^t''""  ""^  ^""^  °™''~''"''  '^""^  necessary  to 

wIT     T  ""^  "'"' '""''  ■"  '^  *«  defecUve  part 
was  brought  up  fa>„,  the  bottom.    This  time  it  C 

SUl  the  cable  yxelded  slowly  to.  the  iron  hands  thrt 

The  1      ^  ^°?  '*  °'^''*  '■'^y  S°'  *^  &"!'  o"  board. 
The  wounded  hmb  was  at  once  amputated,  and  join 

-g  the  parte  that  wen,  whole,  the  cable  was  made  new 
andstrongagain.  Thus  ended  a  day  of  anxiety.  The 
next  mommg,  which  was  the  second  Sabbath  at  sea. 
was  webomed  with  «  grateful  feeling  after  the  sus! 
penae  of  the  last  twenty-four  houre 

uo'tf  "".'T  *""  '"'i^'^»"«  »>-'  tad  been  hauled 
np,  and  wh.ch  were l,5ng  in  huge  pilesupon  the  deck," 
were  «,bjected  to  a_rigid  examination,  to  find  out 
wWhe&ultlay.  This  was  soon  apparent.  Near 
the  end  was  found  a  pi«e  of  wi«,  thrust  through  its 
vej  heart,  «,tf  it  had  been  drirea  into  it  AnWked 
black  when  to  w«,  discoye^d,  for  at  once  it  excited 
™P«Hoas  ,f  design.    It  was  remarked  that  the  «Z 

^jr  tfie  firet  fiuTt.    \r*  n : -     . 


n>  tk.  a-.^?='  "^s^^^^  _-i'Sjanic  as  afthn  tame 
^»»ffl»tfiult.    Mr.  Canning  sent  for  the  men.^ 


1 «!.»/»(/..,  45^M.  J.1  /': 


'^.i  'hv"«' 


-A- 


•f-r- 


•5ir 


316 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 


and  showing  them  the  cable  pierced  through  With 
the  wire,  asked  then^how  it  occurred.    Everj  man  re- 
^     pUed  that  ti  must  havAeen  done  hy  design,  even  though 
they  accused  themselves,  as  this  implied  that  there 
was  a  traitor  among  them.    It  seemed  hard  to  believ^ 
that  anj  one  could  be  guilty  of  such  devilish  malig- 
nity.    Yet  such  a  thing  had  been  done  before  in  a 
cable  laid  in  the  North  Sea,  where  the  insulation  was 
destroyed  by  a  naU  driven  into  it    The  man  wa^  Up- 
ward arrested,  and  confessed  that  he  had  been  hired  to 
do  It  by  a  rival  company.    The  matter  was  the  sub- 
ject of  a  long  investigation  in  the  English  courts.    In 
the  presentcase  there  were  many  motives  which  might 
prompt  to  such  an  act.    The  fall  in  the  stock  on  the 
l^ndon  Exchange,  caused  by  a  loss  of  the  cable,  could 
liardly  be  less  than  half  a  milHon  sterling.    Here  was 
a  temptation  such^  bb  betrays  bold,  bad  men  into  crime 
However,  ak  it  was  impossible  to  fix  the  deed  on  any 
on?,  nothing  was  proved,  and  there  only  remained  a 
painfol  suspicion  of  treachery.    Against  this  it  was 
their  duly  to  guard.  -  Therefore  it  was  agreed  that  the 
gentlemen  on  board  should  take  turns  in  keeping 
watsfe.ip  the  tank.    It  ™  veiy  unpleasant  to  Mr 
Canning  thus  to  set  a  watoh  04  men,  many  of  whom 
had  beeo^A  him  in  his  former  cable-laying  expMi- 
tions,  but  the  best  of  them^admitted  the  necessity  of  it^ 


'4 


,V'<-jg-,.-..''-  ;>^, 


,##) 

.?-^^.,, 


'   n 


LPH. 

ough  with 
ry  man  re- 
en  though 
that  there 
to  believe 
ish  mah'g- 
fore  in  a 
ation  was 
was  after- 
1  hired  to 
the  sub- 
urts.    In 
ch  might 
ik  on  the 
le,  could 
lere  was 
to  crime. 
i  on  any 
lained  a 
I  it  was 
that  the 
keeping 
to  Mr. 
^  whom 
ezp^di* 
tyofi^ 


# 


t 


HISTORY  OP  ThI  ATLANTIC  TELEGSAPH.       317 

and  were  as  eager  as  himself  to  find  out  tKe  Judaa 
among  them. 

But  accident  or  villainy,  it  was  defeated  this  time, 
and  the  Great  Eastern  proudly  continued  her  voyage. 
Not  the  slightest  check  interrupted  their  progress  for 
the  next  three  days,  during  which  they  passed  over 
five  hundred  miles  of  ocean.    It  was  now  they  en- 
joyed their  .greatest  triumph.    They  were  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  Atlantic^  and  thus  far  the  voyage  had  been 
a  complete  fluceess.    The  ship  seemed  as  if  made  by 
Heaven  to  accomplish  this  great  work  of  civilization. 
The  paying-out  apparatus  was  a  piece  of  mechanism 
,to  excitt  the  enthusiasm  of  am  engineer,  so  smoothly 
did  its  well-oiled  wheels  run.    The  strain  never  exceed- 
ed fourteen  hundred-weight,  even  in  the  greatest  depths 
of  the  Atlantic.    And  as  for  the  cable  itself  it  seemed 
to  come  as  near  perfection  a^t^^as  possible  to  attam. 
As-  before,  the  insulation  wa§^.  greatly  improved  by 
submergence  in  the  ocean.    With  every  lengthening 
league  it  grew  better  and  better.    It  seems  almost  be- 
yond belief,  yet  the  foot  is  fully  attested  that,  when  in 
the  middle  of  the  ocean,  the  communication  was  so 
perfect  that  they  could  tell  at  Valentia  every  time  tlie 
Great  Eastern .  rolled.*     With  such  omens  of  suc- 

*  So  exquisitely  aeiuitire  wu  the  copper  strand,  that  «s  the  Great 
Eastern  rolled,  and  so  mad»  the  cable  pass  across  the  magnetio  nrnrj. 


#"1^    ^ 


I', 


_sl 


diu,  the  ioduc^d  cnrrent  of  electricity,  laoomptehensibl/  fiOnt  m  il 


l%iiM«^'4^-<  y'iii^t    'Mtk  ^Ml!£% 


I     >, 


-•■>'<■  »jM»j;y,-«-' 


318 


niSTOBT  OF  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEOSAPH. 


cess  who  could  bm  feel  confident?    And  ,hen  on 

Monday  .hey  passed  orer  a  deep  valley,  where  lay 

the  bones  of  three  Atlantic  cables."  it  was  with  a 

tCuX""  ""'*'"*''"'' ""'"«''>  *"»*« «» 

But  Wednesday  brought  a  sadden  termination  of 

a.e,r  hopes.    They  had  run  out  about  twelve  hundred 

m  es  of  cable,  and  were  now  within  six  huuH 

mUesofNewfouodland.    Two  days  more  woSa™ 

made  them  safe,  .a  it  would  have  brought  them  into 

the^shaUow  water,  of  the,  coast    Thus  it  was  when 

least  e^cted  that  disaster  came.    We  shall  give  very 

bnefly  the  record  of  tin's  &tal  day.    In  the  morig ' 

whJe  Mr.  Field  was  keeping  watch  in  the  tank,  ZfC 

ZihT  ^°^;f  """^ "'''?  '"^  '^•'  «■««  ''hen  the  ^  - 
to,uble  occurred  before,  a  gating  sound  was  heard,  as 
rf  .  p.ece  of  wire  had  caught  in  the  m«>hinery.   M 
word  was  passed  up  to  the  deck  to  lc6k  outl;  it, 
but  fte  caution  seems  not  to  have  been  hea»3,  and  i    - 
P-sedoverthestemoftheship.    Soo„a,ra^' 
came  from  the  testing-room  of  "another  &«lt.--    R  . 
vws  not  4  bad  one,  since  it  did  not  prevent  commnni- 

^^l!!^  ^'■'  '»'»"L-'"'»-'«^»igbt  have  been- 
saved  had  a  message  been  sent  to  Ireland  that  they 


V  : 


it</;**Uci  \f 


i^^'L- 


"#r 


■Xi^A 


|5|W''- 


"VS^,""-'*! 


^S5 


4,4 


-•  ^Jl^ 


APH. 

I  when  OB 
where  lay 
^as  with  a 
another  to 

• 

ination  of 
3  hundred 

hundred 
3uld  have 
hem  into 
^as  when 
jive  very  ^ 
morning^ 
nk,  with 
v^hen  the  . :: 
^ard,  as 
ery,  abd 

for  it; 
I,  and  it   ^ 
areport 
It"    It- 
tnmuni- 
I'^been  *     . 
at  they 

ya  of  th« 

\ 


1^  r 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       319 

were  about  to  out  the  cable,  in  order  to  haul  it  on 
board.  But  small  as  the  fault  was,  it  could  not  be  left 
behind.  Down  on  the  deep  sea-floor  was  some  minute 
defect,  a  .pin's  point  in  a  length  measured  by  thou- 
sands ot  miles.  Yet  that  was  enough.  Of  this  mar- 
vellous product  of  human  skill,  it  might  in  truth  be 
said,  that  it  was  like  the  law  of  God  in  demanding  ab- 
solute perfection.  To  offend  in  one  point  was  to  be 
guilty  of  all.  •  "       , 

This  new  faulty  though  it  was  annoying,  did  not ' 
.    create  alahn,  for  they  had  been  accustomed  to  such 
things,  and  regarded  them  only  as  the  natural  inci- 
dents of  the  voyaga    Had  the  apparatus  for  pulling 
in  been  complete,  it  could  not  have  delayed  them  more 
than  a  few  hours.    But  this  had  been  the  weak  point 
of  the  arrangements  from,the  beginning— the  bite  noire 
,  of  the  expedition. .  The  only  motive  powfer  was  a  lit- 
tle donkey  engine,  (rightly  named,)  which  puffed  and 
whqezed  as  if  it  had  the  asthma.    This  was  now  put  in 
.  requisition,  buit  soon  gave  out  for  want  of  more  steam. 
While  waiting  for  this  a  breeze  sprang  up,  which 
caused  the  Great  Eastern  to  drift  over  the  cable,  by 
which  It /was  badly  chafed,  so  that  when  it  was  hauled 
inf  as  the  injured  part  was  coming  over  the  bows  and 
w»3  almost  within  grasp,  suddenly  it  broke  sind  plunged 
.  imo  the  sea  I  ' 

ThuslFcame  without  a  moment's  warning.    So  un. 


t  11,'- y^ 


x.i  %  .yvM- 


«» . 


820 


^KTO 


'TORr  OF  TM  APLANTIO  T.r.gaBAPH. 


hour  of  noon     R,if  nr    r^  as  it  was  a  little  past  the 
tbe  sea,  ^nd  ^„  «,,   '  ^""^  "P^'afd.  from 

'-g'-4  than  dribed^C^""  ""^  "^  ^"" 

."Suddenly  Mr.  C»4,pSd^oT  7'"""  = 

»«»•.  said,  •  It  is  all  o_„ ,    J,  .^^  ""^  '"  ^tor'  ■"  h-s 

».a«„»hia  cabi.lLl'^S';''^"  ''.'='^"^'* 
Wih  occasioned  bv  fl,  .  "'^  ^"P"*  ""1 

field  cSunelllt    r  "'" -''*^  ^"^  ""V'  «'• 
said    ^  r  ~"P'""°''  '"'o  *«=  «Joon,  and 

blanched,  .T^e  ^  bJ^rA'"-""'^'  "- 
board'    -All  we«,  on  deckTn^  T  *°''°  °^''- 

-deed,  a  glance  „veale^t':^,T--'>-'>*e:^ 

■•-fore,    yet  there  it  w^Lt:^!:  :7,'"°"" 
"^y  to  day,  and  as_the.uooes,np  to  this  point  w     . 


"y*m 


t* . 


lPH. 

geutJemen 
>  past  the 
ield  stood 
ard  from 
■cl,  which 
be  better 
I . board  ; 
3on,  and 
t  in  his 
i^tened 
•ise  and 
aj,  Mr, 
on,  and 
3ircuur- 
ik  was 
3  over- 
there, 

[I  had 
hours 
)oard, 

in  its 

lown 
our, 
)rted*- 


HISTORY  oy  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.       821 

raw  the  Hopes  of  all  to  the  highest  pi^h,  the  sud- 
den  loss  of  communication  with  the  ship  was  a  heavy 

"  o    1    '       °  '"^"'^'^"'  -^  ^^^^  "-  to  all  sor^ 
of  conjectures.     At  first  a  favorite  theory  was    that 

Btorm.    These  are  amo^g  the  most  mysterious  phe- 
nomena  of  .atur.^,,  ^^^,^  ^^^  ^  J  P^^ 

doTev'  fr'^'"^^°--  ^--blesii 
do  they  give  of  their  pi^nce.  No  clouds  darkS 
tbe  heavens;  no  thunder  peals  along  the  sky.l^^ 
strange  mfluences  trouble  the  air.  At  this  ve^  hou^^ 
Pr^f^or  Any  the  Astronomer  Boyal  at  the  oL;^:     ' 

tory  at  Greenwich,  reported  a  magnetic  storm  of  unu- . 

ual  violen^  Said  a  London  paper:  '.Ju^t  whel  ' 
tbe  signals  from  the  Great  Eastern  ceased,  a  magnetic' 
storm  of  singular  violence  had  set  in.  VpeS 
Y  T'  l^t  to  be  seen  in  the  heavens,  no^  ^  in  the 
atmosphere,  the  earth's  electricity  underwent  a  myste- 
rious disturbance.  The  recording,  instruments  scat, 
tered  about  the  kingdom,  everywhere  testified  Jt 
fury  of  this  voiceless  tempest^  and  »there  is  ^rery  rea- 

on  Wednesday  was  due  to  the  strange  and  unusu^    ; 
e^h-currente  of  magnetism,  sweeping  wildly  across 
he  caWe  as  .t  lay  in  apparently  untroubled  watexs  at 
the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic."  * 


*». 


rv 


-Smta^ Times.-'  "At  v'.l»tl^ on Wednesdajr  last. 


1-       ^"'»'C    "»      r-i>j»T-" 


l^ 


\ 


822 


ftlarOBT  OF  IHE  ATLANHO  TELBOBAPH. 


Jke  8,puj3,  up  to  nine  A.K.,  were  coming  with  won 
derfol  istinctn^ss  and  «gnl.ritf  bn,  about^JiT; 
anient  magnetic  storm  sot  in.    N^  insulation  oH 

.^reroft'"  r"  ^'*-' -*»"'«!' 

s»ndT  '"'"°*'  P''»°"'«"S  which  corrc 

^nd  in  some  paracula,.  to  storiis  i,  the  ordinZ 

to  west    Their  action  is  immediately  communicated 
^  «U  conductors  of  electricity,  and  a  strugl^^ 

;™..4prr.jt:et:^rArr 

^Sr^r"^""'^'  »^  taweenyL:i°  ■ 
«.d  Kilbruey  the  mitural  current  toward  the  west  wa^ 
so  strong  along  the  land  lines  that  it  requiredrlT 
^.T't^  '"^  °""°'"^  batto^S^o^*" 
TcabJl^      ^'.'"  >-»tautIypercep.ible  in  the Athn- 

*?*  Extern.  They  knew,  alas  I  that  the  cable  was 
« the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and  the  only  quesfe  JT 
tf  any  thmg  could  be  done  to  reco^r  it  ^ 

M.rfel'T'  *  ?*  °^  ''"'*  Aere  h«i  been  no  ex- 


.^y 


h-sJi  ^  *4.    ':*l*^^!i'taoO-    .A  W 


•"./■ 


•  \ 


•\.  \ 


HISTORT  OP  TEE  ATLANm  TELEGRAP?!       8^8 

proposal  «emed  wUd,  dictated  by  the  to„zy  of  de-  ' 
sp.r.    Yet  he  had  fished  in  deep  waters  bei     flt 

'  bu'tU    "  ■""'  r  ''"  •»«»-<'f  the  Medite^ne^ 

but  that  was  a  shallow  lake  eompared  with  the  depths 

mto  wh,o6  the  Atlantie  cable  had  descended.    The 

.    oe^n,shex«twoandahalf„>ilesdeep.    It  was  a,  ii 

Z^IT ,  "'  *^  ""  *^"'  ™"^"  °f  Mont  Blanc 
and  cast  ahne  mto  the  rale  of  Chamouni.    Yet  who 

wrnoltt'^/T"'^'"""^^^  TheexpediSn 
tope.  There  were  on  Wrd  some  five  mUes  of  wire 
-pe.  n^tended  to  hold  the  cable  in  case  it  becle  n" 
oessao- to  out  it  and  lash  it  to  the  buoys,  to  save  it 

d^f^'ot^j^Zsr^An?"  ""^  ''""^'"  o" 
auuiuer  purpose.    "  And  now  came  forth  the 

»»,  two  flve-armed  anchors,  with  flukes  sharply 

cmred  and  tapered  tp  a  tooth-like  end-the  h^li 

The  fl     rV'  ^'  ^-^  ''-  Soiug  to  iish  fo^ 
the  Great  Eastern  for  a  take  worth,  wSh  all  its^ 

longmg^morethM.,  million."  These  huge  grappUn-- 

.».«  were  finnly  shackled  to  the  end  ofle^^'JS 
b»ught.to  .he  bowB  and  thrown  overboard.^' 

S^^r    *'n '"'*  '"  *-PP-ed  inZ^bd 
«rf  the  ocean.    Down  it  goe»-4eep^,  deeper,  deeper 

■ti*mektheearfli,.nji.-.-- *"^" 


»g  for  rts  lost  treasure  on  the  bottom  ^f  the  sea. 


,\ 


^J 


;*  .-> 


K-^    ' 


.  324      HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH.    , 

What  did  it  find  there?  The  wrecks  of  ships  that 
had  gone  down  a  hundred  years  ago,  with  dead  men's 
bones  whitening  in  the  deep  sea  caves?  It  sought  for 
something  more  precious  to  the  interest  of  civilization 
than  ^ems  and  gold. 

The  ship  was  now  a  dozen  miles  or  so  from  the 
place  of  .accident.    The  cable  had  broken  a  little  after 
noon,>when  the  sun  wa^  shining  clear,  so  that  Captains 
Anderson  and  Moriarty  had  just  obtained  a  perfect 
observation,  from  which  they  could  tell,  within  half  a 
mile,  the  very  spot  where  it  had  gone  down.   To  reach 
It  now,  with  any  chance  of  bringing  it  up,  it  would  b^ 
necessary  to  hook  it  a  few  miles  from  the  end.    It  had 
been  paid  out  in  a  line  frpm  east  to  west.    To  strike 
it  broadside,  the  ship  stood  off  in  the  afternoon  a  few 
miles  to  the  south.     Here  the  grapnel  m  thrown 
over  about  three  o'clock,  and  struck  bottom  about 
five,  when  the  ship  began  slowly  drifting  back  6n  het 
course.    AH  night  long  those  iron  fingers  were  ^ing 
the  bottom  of  the  deep  but  grasping  nothing,  tUl  to- 
ward morning  the  long  rope  quivered  like  a  fisher- 
man's line  when  something  has  seized  the  end,  and 
.  the  head  of  the  Great  Eastern  began  to  sway  from  her 
course,  as  if  it  felt  some  ^piseeh  attraction.    As'they 
begin  to  haul  in,  the  r^iy  increasing  strain  soon 
'renders  it  certain  that  they  have  got  hold  oiaomethina 
_Butwhat —  -*'--•>    "       '     •      - 


oan  it  be?    How4o  fbey  kaewH 


■    \  \  ■■ .. 


PH.    , 

bips  that 
!ad  men's 
ought  for 
nJization 

from  the 
ttle  after 
Captains 
I  petfect 
nhalf  a 
Po  reach 
rould  be 
It  had 
0  strike 
n  a  few 
thrown 
L  about 
On  het 


HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


825 


till  to- 
]6sher- 
id,  and 
)m  hep 
8 'they 
I  soon 
eihin^. 


V-)- 


Jost  cable?    This  question  has  often  been  asked  since.     \ 
They  did  not  sec  it.    How  do.  they  know  that  it  was 
not  the  skeleton  of  a  whale,  or  a  mast  or  sp«r,  the 
|-agmentofawrecked>sb-p?    This  question  is  easily     / 
^swered.    If  it  had  been  any  loose  object  which  was 
/feeing  drawn  up  from  the  sea,  ite  weight  would  have 
diminished  as  it  came  nearer  the  surface.    But  6n  the 
contrary,  the  sb-ain,  as  shown  by  the  dynamometer, 
Mly  increased.    This    could  only  be  from  some 
object  lying  prone  on  the  bottom.    To  an  engineer 
the  proof  is  like  a  mathematical  demonstration. 

Having  then  cau|^?it  the  cable,  they  had  good  hopes 
of  getting  It  again,  'their  confidence  increasing  with 
every  hundred  fathoms  brought  on  board.    F6r  liours 
the  work  went  on.    They  had  raised  it  seven  hundred     ^^ 
fethoms-or  three  quarters  of  a  mile-from  the  bottom 
when  an  iron  swivel  gave  way,  and  the  cabl^e  once 
more  feU  back  into  the  sea,  carrying  with  it  nearly       ' 
two  miles  of  rope. 

The  first  attempt  had  med,  but  the  fact  that  4ey  . 
had  unmistakably  caught  the  pri^  gav^  them  courage 
for  a  second.    Preparations  were  at  once  begun,  but^ " 
fogs  came  on  and  delayed  the  attempt  till  Monday 
wheait  was  repeated.    This  time  the  grapnel  caught  ^ 
again.    It  was  late^^I  the  afternoon  when  it  got  its 
hold,  and  thework  of  juHmg  in  was  kept  up  allnigl^t. 


at 


:§h 


"Bat  aa  the  sea.  was  calm  and  the  moon  shining  brightly, 


■  f 


^ 


tas 


HiSTOBT  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLEORAPH. 


'=•      *?  t™**  i."  ''  "*  'P"'-  '■""-e  ^'«J  «*•'  «■«  hope 
^      01  tnumpli  on  the  morrow. 

^^         Th,t  WM  not  to  be  J  but  eaob  attempt  seemed  to 
com.  nearer  and  ^nearer  to.  yietory.     TUb  time  the 
,  «"«  was  drawn  up  a  full  mile  ifrom  the  bottom,  and 
hung  suspended  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  ship. 
.  Had.  the  rope  been  strong  enough,  it  might  have  been 
broBght  on  board.    But  again  a  swivel  gare  way,  and 
the  cable,  whose  sleep  had  been  a  seeond  time  dis- 
turbed,  sought  its  ocean  bed. 
/      These  esperimente  were  fast  using  up  the  wire  rope. 
7    ^d  eve.7  e^ent  h«i  to  be  resorted  to,  to  piece  it  out 
y      and  to  g,Te,t  strength.    Each  shackle  and  swivel  was 
replaced  by  new  bolts,  and  the  capstan  was  increased 
four  feet  m  diameter,  by  being  belted  with  enormous 
plates  of  iron,  to  wind  the  rope  around  it,  if  the  piot- 
mg  up  machinery  should  feil.    This  gave  full  work  to 
_^  the  mechanics  on  b<«rd.    The  ship  was  turned 

,    wh«*  mjght^i  ^  a»  eye  of  an  artisl^  and  which 
Russell  thug  describes:; 
.  "The  foige  fires  glared  on  her  d^  „d  (here,  o«  - 

~ble  ,^eti«  and  g^ed  of  q«edy  new^    Aa  Z 
^  'hot  U.N  nridy,  mrfln,  ..^  ^      ^^ j  ^^ 


■'^•^^J^^ 


«P 


'N/' 


Hfe^ 


HZSTOBr  OP  THE  iXLAs^IO  TELEGaiPH.       827 

arms  of  light  aloft  „d  .,,„g  ^.e  glistening  deok.  »d 
and  strange  figures  and  faces  were  ealled  out  fiomZ 

tnC  'TT ""f  ''  ""'«•"  """"-•  -•^'*  ftd^ 
soon  aw«y^fl,eke,^_^^t  """^-^  »%  were  oaUed 

»»  We  by .,»  w«,„,ta«,tl,  or  we«  buried  in  theZ^ 

ittte^T    K   l"""  """'  "°^'<*  ^"^  "■«  ""^  of  tie 
"ghted  tog-b«,k,  were  projected  &r  away  by  the  flare- 

bark  drifted  hnn  m  the  night  across  the  track  tf  Z 

denng  hp^  he  &ncied  hg,beheld  a  phantom  shin 
fre^hted  with  an  evU  orew,  and  ever  1,  Z  W 

-  ""e  Bosom  of  the/eoean."  " 

bee«dr,tog  abo,^  sometimes  to  a  distance  of  W 
1^  -"Jes.  but  it  had  marked  the  comsewhere^ 

■Tit  ^IV^"  ""^^  *^™  «"'  »!»»»  ten  mto 
W  each  bearing  a  flag  which  might  be  ZJTl 

^  «.d  «,  easay  c«ne  back  to  th^^'l* 

■^^>««  «te»  J.on.»  rfAifting^^.^ 
^t  tSat  the  sh,p  had  passed  over  the  cable  with. 


^^r 


--3» 


>- 


Vtf 


f  ,'■•' 


^'^^^ 


«JB2a 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 


*- 


u  , 


out  grappling.  The  line  was  hauled  in,  and  the  rea- 
aon  at^nce  appeared.  One  of  the  flukes  had  caught 
,  in  the  chain,  so  that  it  could  not  strike  ite  teeth  into 
the  bottom.  This  was  cleared  away,  and  the  rope 
prepared  for  a  fourth  and  final  attempt. 

It  was  at  noon  oft  Friday  that  the  grapnel  went 
overboard  for  the  last  time.  By  four  o'clock  it  had 
<^n^t,  and  the  work  |,f  hauling  in  recommenced. 
Again  the  cable  wis  brought  up  nearly  eight  hundred 
fathoms,  when  the;^  broke,  canying  down  two 
mJes  of  it^  o^^^^gth,  and  with  it  the  hopes  of  the 
Atlantic  Tele^ph  for  the  present  year. 

Their  resoifes  were  exhausted.  For  nine  days  had 
that  heroio  crew  persevered  in  their  attempt.  Or 
ratiier  (fo/  they  scarce  took  note  of  day  or  night  in 
the  e^tement  of  that  long  struggle)  we  might  say, 

Nine  times  the  spooe 

That  measures  day  and  night  to  morUI  men, 

they  kept  up  the  contest.  There  is  something  grand^ 
though  sad  in  the  spectacle  of  th^  noble  ship  thus  lin- 
genng  m  mid-ocean,  moving  round  and  round  one 
fetal  spot,  with  her  great  eye  ^ed  on  the  place  where 
her  treasure  is  gone  down,  and  vainly  striving  to  wrest 
It  from  the  hand  of  the  spoiler. 

Baffled  they  were,  yet  they  had  not  toiled  in  vain. 
^^^7  ^l^Q3mw}ifttihft4)owCT-of^aa.eftfr^o^^^ 


WAAl?!  a^iiVjfvk-  ,.:^te^h,,  ^rfJj,**^^ 


"'?, 


^ISTOEY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      82» 

henceforth  it  was  not  to  be  bounded  by  any  thing  on 
the  solid  earth,  or  in  the  waters  under  the  earth.  Three 
times  they  had  grasped  the  prize,  and  each  time  failed 
to  recover  it,  only  for  want  of  ropes  strong  enough  to 
bring  it  on  board.  Th^  cable  never  broke.  Herein  it 
proved  its  strength,  and  gave  good  omen  for  futurS 
success.  ♦ 

But  for  the  present  all  was  over.  The  attempt  must 
be  abandoned  for  the  year  1865,  but  not  f<yr  ever;  and 
with  this  purpose  in  her  "constant  mind,"  the  Great 
Eastem^wung  suUenly  aroilnd,  and  turned  her  impe- 
rial head  toward  England,  like  a  warrior  retiring  from 
the  field-not  victorious,  n^r  yet  defeated  and  despair- 
ing, but  with  her  battle-flag  still  flying,  and  resolved 
once  more  to  attempt  the  conquest  <ff  the  se& 


% 


M'. 


- 

« 

?*    • 

r 

, 

* 

- 

«        - 

■  -  w. 

- 

• 

.♦ 

M 

*^lU\     I      'U        '['■  ,.  ri.    ■   '    <w>J»vS'«       ,, 


;4l!SEffi^ 


"'    'Jt"         1.-^  »;;>~>^^^Wj' 


"X 


CHAPTEB  X7. 

-»»««»„™.„.„™„^,,,„,^,,^     ;-;- 

The  expedition  of  1866,  though  „ot  an  immediate 

confirmed  the  most  sangaine  expectations  of  l^  who 
embarked  .n  it  The  g«at  experiment  made  during 
tho»  four  weeks  at  sea,  had  demonstmted  many 
pomte  which  were  most  important  elements  in  the 

up  in  the  followmg  paper,  which  was  signed  byper- 
sons  officiaUy  engaged  on  board  the  Great  Eastern : 

SnK  ^'.™;P7''«>  ^y  "">  «P«Jition  of  1868,  that . 
Snbmanne  Telegraph  Cable  conld  be  h>id  between 

By  the  expedition  of  1886  it  has  been  fdly  demon- 
strated :  * 


^  <t    1  A^i^tl  ^fS    t^ 


Vi 


^ff^ 


\'' 


»fSS 


HISTOEY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       831 

2.  That  the  insulation  of  a  cable  improves  very 
much  after  ita  submersion  in  the  cold  deep  water^of 
the  Atlantic,  and  that  its  conducting  power  is  consid- 
erably increased  thereby.  ,       , 

iM||fThat  the  steamship  Great  Eastern,  from  her  size 
iPPJonstant  steadiness,  and  from  the  control  over  her 
afforded  by  the  joint  use  of  paddles  and  screw,  ren- 
ders it  safe  to  lay  an  Atlantic  Cable  in  any  weather. 

4.  That  in  a  depth  of  over  two  miles  four  attempts 
were  made  to  grapple-th^  cable.    In  three  of  them  the  ■ 
cable  was  caught  by  the  grapnel,  and  in  the  other  the 
grapnel  was  fouled  by  the  chain  attached  to  it. 

5.  That  the^paying^put  machinery  used  on  board 
the  Great  Eastern  worked  perfectly,  and  can  be  confi- 
dently relied  on  for  Ij/ying  cables  across  the  Atlantic. 

6.  That  with  the  ichproved  Telegraphic  instruments 
for  long  submarine,  l^es,  a  speed  of  mor«  than  eight 
words  per  miQute  ckn  be  obtained  through  such  a 
cable  as  the  present  Atlantic  between  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland,  as  the  amount  of  slack  actuaUy  paid 
out  did  not  exceed  fourteen  per  cent,  which  would 
have  made  the-  total  cable  laid  between  Valentia  and 
Heart's  Content  nindteen  hundred  milei  m 


t'' 


■;-g. 


t 


:!■ 


7.  That  the  preseit  Atlantic  Cable,  though  oapabla 


# 


t'*!"^ 


■ .  >  .  ,;A 


■>,A 


'r 


T'^v 


*  \i«,x*4 


^ 


/: 


t 


1382  '  HISTORY  or  the  Atlantic  telegraph. 

■  {         ••    ■      ■      .  .        -■■  .    .        , 

oi  bearing  a  strain  of  seven  tons,  did  not  experiehee 

.  more  than  fourteen  hundred-weight  in  being  piiid  out 
Into  the  deepest  water  of  the  Atlantic  between  Ireland 
and  Newfoundland. 

,'  8.  That  there  is  no  difficulty  in  mooring,  buoys  in 
the  deep  Water  of  the  Atlantic  between  Ireland  find 
Newfoundland,  and  tliat  two  buoys  even  when  moor- 
®<1^J^  piece  of  the  Atlantic  Cable  itself,  which  had 
been  previously  lifted,  from  the  bottom,  have  ridden 
out  a  gale. 
■^*"-       ".  ,        ■   ■  ,  »<         . 

9.  That  more  than  four  nautical  miles  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Cable  have  been  recovered  from  a  depth  of  over 
two  miles,  and  that  the  insulation  of  the  gutta-percha 
covered  wire  was  in  no  way  whatever  impaired  by  the 
iepth  of  water  or  th6  Strains  to  which  it  had  been  sub- 

•  ipcted  by  lifting  and  passing  through  the  hauling-in 
apparatus. 

10.  That  the  cable  of  1865,  owing  to  the  improve- 
ments introduced  into  the  manufiicture  of  the  gatta- 
percha  core,  was  more  than  ohe  hundred  times  better 
insulated  than  cables  made  in  1858,*  then  considered 
perfect  and  stiU  working^ 

11.  That  the  electrical  testing  can  be  (conducted 


t: 


with  such  jmerring  accuracy  as  to  enable  the  eleotoi- 


V* 


,wS"t»  -" 


<i» 


.'•X 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  tELEGRAPH.       8SB\ 

oians  to  discover  the  existence  of  a  fkult  immediately  ' 
after  Its  production  or  development,  and  very  quicHy'" 
to  ascertain  ite  position  in  the  cable... 

12.Thatwith  a  steam-engine  attached  to  the  pay- 
ing-out  machinery,  should  a  fault  be  discovered  on 
board  whUst  laying  the  cable,  it  is  ^pos^ible  tijat.  it 
nught  be  recovered  before  it  had.reached  the  bottom 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  repaired  at  once. 

•     a  CAKNmo,  EngmteOT-in-Ohief,  Telegraph  eonstru«j. 
^        '.  '       t'on  and  I^ainten&nise  Oofljpanjr.      '^       ' 

,  Jamm  ANDBfwoN,  Commander  of*  the  Great  Eastern. 
Hbnrt  A.  MoMABTY.StaflF  Commander,  R.  N. 
Daniel  GoocH,  M.P.,  Chairman  of  "  Gre»t  Ship  Pa." 
HknAt  Cliffohd,  Engineer.  '     " 

.  WiLLixu  Thomson,  LUD.,  F.R.S,  Prof,  of  Natural 

Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Glasgow 
Cboicwell  F.  Vablbt,  Consulting  Electrician  Electric 
#         '  and  International  Tel^raph  Co. 

Willoughbt  Suth.  ,. 

JuLBS  DbspbchIb^  ■*  '       ■) 

This  was  a  grand  Jesuit  to  be  attained  in  on^  short 
month;  and  if  not  quite  so.gi;Mifying  as  to  hive  the 
cable  laid  at  once,  and  the  wire  in  foil  operation,  yet 
as  It  settled  the  chief  elements  of  success,  we  say  that 
m  ite  moral  influence  it  had  the  inspiring  effe<Jt  of  a 
Tfvwrjf*  -.ajurono-woro  on..4rlmirvoy8gu  felt  ft^o^flff" 
deijce  such  as  they  had  never  felt  befqre^  Thej  came 


1 

1* '?  V 

.  't^V'' 

•all.    '9!  fl 

I 

• 

«» 


*  . 


V  Jl.  JC 


#• 


■; 


:j    ?. 


' 


'*> 


i^ 


-*  -■*»>' 


■    V  ■  '. 


•K 


9^ 


834 


HISTOEY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


back,  not  desponding  and  discouraged,  but  budyant 
■with  hope,  and  ready  atonce  to  renew  the  attempt 

This  confidence  appeared  at  the  first  meeting  of  di 
rectors.    The  feeling  was  very  different  from  that 
after  the  return  of  the  first  expedition,  of  1858.    So 
animated  were  they  with  hope,  and  so  sure  of  sue- 
l_jcess  the  next  time,  that  all  felt  that  one  cable  was  not 
.  enough,  they  must  hscve'  two,  and  so  it  was  decided 
io  take  measures  not  only  to  raise^he.  brpken  end  of 
the  cable  and  to  complete  it  to  Newfoundland,  but 
also  to  construct  and  lay  an  entirely  new  one,  so  as  to 
have  a  double  line  in  operation  the/ollowing  summer. 
The  contractors,  partaking  the  general  confidence, 
came  forward  promptly  with  a  new  offer  even  more 
liberal  than  that  made  before.    They  proposed  to  Con- 
struct a  new  line,  and  to  lay  it  across  the  Atlantic  for 
half  a  million  sterling,  which  was  estimated  to  be  thfe 
^tual  cost  to  them,  reserving  all  compensation  to 
themselves  to  depend  on  success.    If  successful,  they 
were  to  receive  twenty  per  cent  on  the  cost,  or  one 
hundred  thousand  pounds,  to  be  paid  in  shares  of  the 
Company.    They  would  engage,  also,  to  go  to  sea, 
fully  prepared  to  raise  the  broken  end  of  the  cable 
now  in  mid-ocean,  and  with  a  sufficient  length,  includ- 
ing that  on  board  the  Great  Eastern,  to  complete  the 
line  to  Newfijundlaod.     Thus  the  Company  woiild 


-have  twoToattesinst^Tdf  one. 


tM«&3U"^^it>j 


UkjiMi^ 


lA"   *.'   t  -^ 


■  -<i|;^''/t7 


/ 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTKJj  O^LEGR^H.       386 

In  this  oflPer  tlje  contractors  aslumed  a  v.r^  i 

ZtZTT  °™  ™\»^  "^  "^  P-<J  only  m  the 
atook  of  the  Con,pany,  .whieh,  of  com*.,  must  dei«^fid 

twenty  thousand  shares  of  five  pounds  each,  which 

hojdd  be  prefe^ntial  aha,^  .ntiZ  to  a  divideld  ^f 

^elve  per  pent  befo™- the  eight  per.eent  dividend  to 

be  pmd  on  th^fopmer  prefe:.nce  shares,  and  the  fon. 

TuTs^!-?-*;  ''"^'■«"7«'«=k-    This  was  offering  a  ' 
.ubst«xt,al  mdacement  to  the  pnblic  t»  take  part  in 
the  ente.pnse,  and  it  was  thought  with  reason  that 

^1f^   T"  "'  "°"^'  *''°"^''  ''■  '""^-i  "■«  capi- 
tal of  the  Company,  yet  as  it  was  all  to  b*' employed  ■ 

m  forwardmg  the  g^twork,  would  not  only  create 

»ew  property,  but  give  ralae  to  the  old.    The  pro^ 

PO^  of  the  manufecturers  w«.  therefore  at  oC 

accepted  by  the  Di,«.o«,  .nd.ihe  work  was  i" 

statly  begun.    Tkm  hopefUI  was  the  rtate  of  affJ™ 

whea  Mr.  Keld  returned  ,„  America  in  SeptemW 

But  he  waa  never  easy  to  be  long  out  of  sight  of  his 
Moved  c^le,  and  y.  throe  month,  j^^  went  back— 
to  England,  reaching  London  on  the  twe^ty-fonrth 


4'^ 


» \ 


■T'J 


rw 


'.Is^-^ 


•'"■'"•riniUBiiiiinj 


4 


t-'  '^\ 


w      . 


886^      HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


of  December.    He  cacM  at  just  the  right  momenJ>  fpi 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  was  once  more  in  extremity 
Onlj  two  days  before  the  Attorney-General  of  Eng 
land  had  given  a  written  opinion  that  the  Company 
had  no  legal  r^;AUo  issue  new  twelve  per  cent  prefer- 
ence shares,  and  that  such  issue  could  only  be  author-"^ 
ized  bykn  express  act  of  Parliament.    This  was  a 
fatal  decree  to  the  Company.     It  was  the  more  Unex 
pected,  as,  before  oflfering  the  twelve  per  cent  capita/, 
they  had  been  fortified  by  the  opinions  of  several 
,   eminent  lawyers  and  solicitors  in  favor  of  the  legality 
of  jt^eir  proceedings.    It  invalidated  not  only  what 
Sh6y  were  going  to  do,  but  what  they  had  done 
already.    Hence,  as  the  eflfect  of  this  decision,  all  the 
works  were  stopped,  and  the  money  which  had  been 
paid  in  was  returned  to  the  subscribers. 

This  was  a  new  dilemma,  out  of  which  it  was  not 
easy  to  find  a  way  of  relief  Parliament  was  not  in 
sesision.  Lords  and  Commons  being  away  in  the  coun- 
try keeping  the  Christmas  holidays.  Even  if  it  had 
been,  the  time  for  applying  to  it  had  passed,  as  a  no- 
tice of  any  private  bill  to  be  introduced  must  be  given 
before  the  thirtieth  of  November,  which  wto  gone  a 
month  ago.  To  wdt.for  an  act  of  Parliament,  there-' 
fore,  would  inepttibly  postpone  the  laying  of  the 
cable  for  a^ptlSer  year.  So  diaheartening  waS  4^e 
j)roBpect  at  tha  close  of  Ififf-S,  .  "^ 


. '  »>?J 


y 


\\%&^^^ 


HBIOBY.  OF  THE  iTLiTOo  THioBAPH.      887 

Bat  they  h«,^en  dark  day,  before,  and  were  no. 
suspended  ammation.       .  , 

kaown  m  London,  aa  one  of  that  da*  of  engineers 
fe^edm  the  sohool  of  Stephenson  and  Brunet  who 
W,  ™en  to  the  position  of  great  eapimUts,  and  who!  ' 

of  al  O     ,r"^  °^  ^°«'*"'^     =»  "»  Chairman 
■    °he  At.!7?,"^"  ^'"'^-    Si.  conneetion  with 
he  Atlant.0  Telegraph  was  somewhat  eurioua     Until 
^^^'-^"^TES   ftll   eoniidenoe   in  i^  s„^^ 
0lTrJ,T,  •"«'  ^o"-"-  »d  a  pe^onal  frien" 

subaeribe  a  single  pound.    But  he  went  m,.  „    .1,       ' 
expe^tion  of  ■«,,  as  ehai^an  of  thel:; l^.*: 
owned  the  Great  Eastern;   and  what  he  Z  ^w 
oonvncedhim.    He  eame  back  fulW  satisfied  11 

«  »«»  Cbm^y,  whieh  should  assume  the  wo^HnJ 

:S ""  This"""""*"  '^^  "'^'-  -^  «^^  - 

capital.     This  opinion  was  confimiftH  ' 


I^Mhat  mil 


-en.  i.^t  ^m^rmj^^^C"^^^;^ 


m'4 


1' 


\i 


'^V* 


(f'iA  1     ,.  ^^ia^t 


tat^-^i^ 


such   a  OnJv,  flAl'ff. 


*    N^exii  ie  b«too)r  ..,'"'  ^10,000.  •  f 

■ --tilt:;:- -p-TJ,:^^^ 

discouraged  •  ^^  ^       "^    ■^'°^-   ^^r.  Fiel,^  ^     I, 
to  r,«    1.      '  ^"^  '^°'«^°  to  the  Cnrr>  '  don  ,!rhe  t( 

1^  :  ''''  ^^^  Whatever  he     T?  ^°^  ^^  *»  -pit 
tenth  of  the  whole  »    wl  ''°'*'  ^  ^''^I  bear  L^ 

Jf«>ntenance  Company .  and  Il^P''  '^"■^''"cfioJo.oOO 
^^  between  then,  n?Sr  r^-"- Ijed.  ' 
»  "ew  company  eaUed  theT°       "^  *«  ''""■atioXady  a 

-■""■eted  With  ClalTr   °'  ^"""'""O.  -^^  - 
•     "'^ -^d  lay  down  alTbJo  °  ^"''^^  '^  "■--T 
'^■-  dpMg  whieh  it  is  t^K  ""  '""""er  of  ]  J 

"""■Sts  to  a  p  J,^„^  ^^  -/«  to  wbat  J^ 

;«»'=  "«  a  fi«t  clairiTs^^f!"^  of  *wenty.fl,e , 
""■e  Teleg^ph  Con.panTr'  t  *^''"'  ''^'''e 
■^We  or  eables  (after  Z"    "'^^  "'e  Avenue  of  «.  a  tt 
P^vided  for)  to  thi  '«     "^-^  *^P««es  have  11!m   p, 

"-dthe  J^ewro...  Kewfonnltd  anT.r.'"!"!'--'  ^«" 


v  3^v^ 


'V-^T' 


't^ 


■^f 


11- 


'"^^^IC  mEGBAPH. 


r 


U 


'\ 


^  ^      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLA^IC  rai^GRAPH.       88& 

^«  ^10,000^°"  ^J^  Company  undertake  to  contribute  from  their 
^  «»at  prince  of  jr  f ''''^  ""  ^'^'tlie'' annual  sum  of  £25,000,  on  condition 
"^^yy  who  heard  frol  *  '^"^^  ^^  ^*  work  during  1866;  "  an 

'^  affaira  of  the  aAT'""!-  ^  *^^  '^"^^  ^^^'°«  been  signed  by  Mr. 
'^^^^7  come  to  a  K'  't^-T  "^  '''^?-^*^""  ^^  *^^  ^™^"3^  ^^  New-* 
^"'•prised,  but  f!  fl.  ''''  '""^^"'^  ^  ^^'^  ^  tl^^  «tea°^er 

?••  "Afr.  Field  r  11  ''"'''''^^^  ""''^^  ^^^  ^^^°S  ^«^  t^«  ^eply. 
^«°^Panv  and  .  n    f      *'"^  ^^^  ''*^'^'  ^*  '^^^^^^^^  only  to  raise 
^  co^t^f  ,t .^^  *i  ^^P^*^^-    The  Telegraph  Construction  and  Main- 

^bediscouJeTiooTon'^^^^^^^     '"^   '^  ^*^  ^  subscription  of 

i>i^to^  of  bo^  ri"".'  r  ?  ^'' ''""  ^'''^'^  ^p^^-  ^^  *^-- 

'«ctionaO,000,  and  Mr.  Brassey  to  £60.000,  if  it  were 
'ded.    Mr.  Henry  Bewley,  of  Dublin  also,  who  was 
>ady  a  very  ^arge  owner  of  J;he  Atkntic  *.tock,  de- 
tred  hia  readmess  to  put  doWn:  £20,000  more     But 
[was  not  found  to  be  neceasaiy.    And  so  they  all 
»od  at  £10,000.    Kie  names  of  these  ten  subscriber 
'rv6  to  be  giren,  as  showing  who  stood  forward  to 
;e  the  cause  in  this  crisis  of  its  fel^*  They  were  as 
Hows:  . 

Henry  Ford  Barclay,  BEemry  Bewley,  Thomas  Bras- 
r,  A.  H.  Campbell,  M.P:,  George  Elliot,  Cyrus  W 
eld,  Bichard  Atwood' Glass,  Daniel  Gooch,  MP 
^hn  Pender,  M.P.,  ai>d  John  Smith,  Esqs.    Thgr^ 


^ent  conferences 
^^  tie  formatioi 

^O-AJTEBICAN-  T. 

oi"  £600,000,  w: 
»Pany  to  man . 
3  summer  of  isi 
^  to  what  virtu, 
of  *wenty-flve 
•  *^em  hy  the 
le  revenue  of 
■penses  have 

''^<>Operannu;- 


^S^  subscriptions  of  £6000,  namely,  Thomaa 


* 

>:|). 


i'-as 


"m: 


1 


^^ 


rj/,>  •j^t.-i^"^^ 


SU^l'-.UT.C    .'itf-Si  ■  Ai3W  CJ-^-^. 


,5f4s^ 


-if   ?^ 


^IP' 


.-  /: 


f^ 


I 


a£it^lAtiA'ji  «^.-»L^k»i 


'J 


840 


nmrbnY  op  THflUTLiNnc  telegraph. 


Bolton  and  Sons,  James  Hoib&II,  Esq.,  A  Friend  of 
Mr.  Daniel  Gooch,  M.P.,  and  John  and  Edwin  Wright  • 
one  of  £2600  bj  John  WUkes  and  Sons;  thr^  of 
42000  by  C.  M.  Lampson,  J.  Morison,  and  Ebenezer 
l-tke,  Bsqs. ;  and  two  of  £1000  bj  Edward  Cropper 
and  Joseph  Eobinson,  Esq8.-rnaking  in  all£280  60o' 
Th^  were  all  private  subscriptions  made  before 
even  the  prospectus  was  issued,  or  the  books  opened 
tQ  the  public.  .  Alter  such  a  manifestation  of  confi-  ' 
dfence,  we  are  not  surpri^  to  learn  that  the  whole 
of  the  capital  required  to  proceed  with  the  cable  was' ' 
secured  within  fourteen  days.'    This  was  a'great  tri- 
umph to  be  obtained,  especially  at  a  time  of  general ' 
depression  in  commercial.afeira  in  England 

Andnow  once  more  the  work  begins.  No  time  is 
to  be  lost  It  is  already  the  fii^t  of  March,  and  but 
four  months  remain  to  manufactum  sixteen  hundred 
and  ^ixty  nautical  mUes  of  pable.  and  to  prepare  for 
,  sea  But  the  obstacles  once  cleared  away,  all  spitog 
to  their  work  with  new  ho^e  and  vigor     ' 

'  h.Xt'  -f^  "^  ^  """^'  ^^'  "^^  J^^  ^^^  was 
but  little  change^om  that  of  the  last  year,  which  had 
proved  nearly  perfect.  Science,  .however,  aided  by 
e^ence,  was  constentiy^  Revising  sc^e  fmpiw^ 
ment.  ^So  now,  while  the  general  form  and  ii.e  we^     ' 

InT  '  '  1^  '"^"^^  ^^  *^^  outer  covering  Z 
found  to  make  the  cabl^  both  lighter  and  n^ng.. 


.  ^t   ' 


:>?m' 


'^^■■:;^^fl-    '^ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 


The  iron  wipes  were 
perfectly  from  rust 
protecteid,  they  coi 
mixture  of  the  former 
cleaner  and  whiter.    I 


iy  which  secured  them 
by  salt„  water.    Thud 
^ with  the  preservative 
lis  left  the  cable  mnch 
eatf  of  its  black  coat,  it  had  . 
■    the  fresh,  bright  appearance  of  new  rope.    It^iad  an- 
other  advantage.    As  the  tarry  coating  waa  sticky,    - 
slight  fragments  of  wire  might  adhere  to  it;  aftd  do  in- 
•  jury,  a  danger  to  which  the  new  cable  wai"hot  ex- 
^  posed.    At  the  same  time,  galvanizing  the  wires  gave 
them  greater  ductility,  so  that  in  the  case  of  a  heavy 
strain  the  cable  would  streich  longer  without  breaking.    : 
By  this  alteration  it  was  rendered  more  than  four  htm-, 
dred-weight  lighter  per  firiile,  and  would  bear  a  strain 
of  nearly  half  a  ton  more  than  the  oneJU^he  vear 
before.  ^ 

The  machinery  also  waa  perfected  in  eveiypart, 
to.  withstand  the  great  strain  which  might  be  brought 
upon  it  in  grappling  and  lifting  the  cable  from  the 
great  depths  of  the  Atlantic.  This  necessitated  al-* 
most  a  reconstruction  of  the  machinery,  together  with 
engines  of  greater  power,  applied  both  to  the  gear  for 
hauling  in  forward  and  that  for  paying  out  aft.  Thus, 
in  case  of  a  fault,  the  motion  of  the  ship  could  be 
Easily  reversed,  and  the  cablp  hauled  back  by  the  pay- 
ing-out  machinery,  without  Waiting  for  ^he  long  and 


ptwjesB  of ^mnging  the  itmble  round  from  tfi§ 


stem  to  the  bow  of  the  ship. 


j^ 


4/< 


T-i 


¥4 


313      Bf^^y  oj,  ^  ^^^^^^  TELEGBAPH 

.' dtri"  "i""'""'  '"^''--'  which  r„  a"::. 
-a  be  xxti?:!!"™' ''"  -™- 

noTT  a  new  n.^  ^"^  discovered.    But 

-.w;-h;^rrhT::r.hrjn^^: 

"sgree  of  perfecladn,  that  skilful  .i„t  •  ■ 
"even  when  tl,„  unerring  accuracy, 

iSllionTh  ^rtTf        "^    ''"'  ^"""o  o^ble  one 


!^^y 


IK 


--/ 


/. 


W. 


» 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAM.       843 

Another  marvellous  result  of  science  was  the  exact 
■report  obtained  of  the  state  of  that  portion  of  the  cable 
now  lying  in  the  sea.  The  electricians  at  Yklentia 
were  daily  experimenting  on  the  li^e  which  lay 
stretched  twelve  hundred  and  thirteen' miles  on  the 
bottom  of  the  deep,  and|^ pronounced  it  intact.  Not  a 
fault  could  be  found  from  one  end  to  the  other.  As 
when  a  master  of  the  organ  runs  his  hands  over  the 
keys,  and  tells  in  an  instant  if  it  be  in  perfect  tune,  so 
did  these  skilful  manipulators,  fingering  at  the  end  of 
this  mightier  instrument,  declare  it  *to  be  in  perfect 
tone,  ready  to  whisper  its  harmonies  througb  the  seas. 
At  tlie  same  time,  the  ten  hundred  and  seventy 
miles  of  cable  left  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  were 
pronounced  as  faultless  as  the  day  it  had  been  shipped 
on  board. 

"  With  such  conclusions  of  science  to  animate  and 
inspire  them,  the  great  task  of  manufacturing  nearly 
seventeen  hundred  miles  of  cable  once  more  began. 
And  while  this  work  went  on,  the  Great  Eastern,  that' 
had  done  her  part  so  well 'before,  again  opened  her 
sides,  and  the  mysterious  cord  was  drawn  into  her 
vast,  dark,  silent  womb,  from  which  it  was  to  issue 
only  into  the  darker  and  more  silent  bosom  of  the 
deep.  * 


I       * 


♦, 


J 


.fi 


CHAPTER  xyj. 


•■s 


'^"^-ExPEDiTios  or  1866.     Immev,,,  p„ 

i  disaster  and  defeat     It  ,3  11  °"  '"""y  "  *»'<=  "^ 

by  the  ew  of  for.1: ;:/:;  :rr  '"'■ '"' "°'  ■ 

nian,  by  the  union  of  "^        """''"'  <=«'"■*  "f 

; -d  dLppoirett;  bu  .0  rf  '^ '"''  ^''"^  *-  ^ 

J  ago  of  those  eo.bart  d  t  ;l  LZ        '  ""  "°  "*'^- 

Prepare  for  a  fifth  expedition     In  T,^         "  '° 
,  :  aelves  to  anticipate  ever^^  plifcu  1 "  '"""  ^'  *^»-       • 
'  ■  combine  the  element.,  of  '"efgewy,  and.  to 

impo^iWe.  ™°°^  ^""^^  '^^der  faUfre 

""d  pride,  as  the  al^T:  ^^^^  rT"" 
across  tho  dcen  w«c,  .v,  j  ^^^  ibrtunes 

uu  aeep,  was  made  ready  for  her  n^«.„  • 
achievement.    For  months  O.nf^ -7.         crowmag    

.,,.H^p'">^obiefoa.^:g^:;-^;;^M. 


=ser 


■  ^ 


j¥ 


■m- 


/- 


# 


M0D8  Skbt. 
HE  VorAO*. 

through 
a  tale  of 

to  tell  of  » 
but  not 

'fibrts  of 

ndomit-.'' 
/ 
r  wns  a 

ie  colir- 

roused 
WW  to 

them- 
and  to 
failtire 


me  to 
Jction 
tunes 

[Mr. 


HISTORY  of  THE.  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


345 


/     her  into,  perfect  trim.     She  jiad' become  sadly  fouled 
in  her^many  voyages.  ^  As  she  swa^i  the  seas,  a  thou- 
sand  thmgs  clung  to  her  as.  to  a  floating  island,  till  her 
hull  was  encrusted  with  mussels  and  barnacles  two 
feet  thick,  and  Wg  seaweed  flaunted  from,  her  sides 
Like  a  brave  old  war-horse,  long  neglected,  she  needed 
a  thorough  grooming,  to  have  her  hair  combed  and 
her  .hmbs  well  rubbed^^down,  to  fit  her  to  take  the 
field.    But  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  under  the 
huge  creature,  to  give  her  such  a  dressing.    Yet  Ca/ 
tern  Anderson  was  equal  to  the  emergency.    He  con- 
tnved  a  simple  instrument  by  which  every  part  of  her 
bottom  was  raked  and  scrubbed.    Getting  rid  of  this 
rough,  shapeless  mass  would  make  her  feel  easy  and 
comfortable  at  sea,  andedd  at  ha^ knot  an  hour  to 
ner  speed. 

The  boilers  too  were  thoroughly  cliftnsed  and  re. 
paired  m  every  part,  and  the  paddle-engines  were  so 
arranged  that  in  five  minutes  they  c^d  be  discon- 
nected,  so  that  by  going  ahead  with  one  and  bickinc 
with  the  other,  the  ship  could  be  held  perfectly  «t  res^t 
or  be  turned  around  in  her  own  length,  a  veiy  import- 
ant matter  when  they  should  come  to  fish  in  de^p 
waters  for  the  broken  end  of  the  cable.    To  prepare 
for  this,  she  was  armed  with  chains  and  ropes  and 
J^°°5l°1^''^^J°^°»^  fofflidable  kj 


For  gmppliBg^^be- 


"S*," 


^j . .    -    ^-Li, 


•  cable,  she  took  on  board  twenty  miles  of 


rope,  yrUok 


,...t* 


■  I    ; 


1 


'» ■ 

«.  .J    - 

V 


S46       BtSTOET  OF  ME  AtLAKTio  lELEOBAPH.  ., 

•  ,^uld  bear  a  straia  of  thirty  tona,  probably  the  West 
^'""K-l'ie  used^iBce  the  days  of  Noah  ■ 

;  -    The  cable  waa  manufactm^d  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
mles  a  day,  and  as  fast  aa  delivered  and  found  ^ 

r  ".V  ""  '""'•    ^"^  "»''  ""^  eleotrieiana  S 

the^  skU  to  outdo  all  that  they  had  done  before.    As 

*  Capton  Anderson  observed,  i,  seeded  aa  itr^Z  had 

-mueh-brain  power-been  eonceutratedin'rir^t^ 
km  of  su^.  The  cable  iMf  furnished  the  gS 
est  subject  of  experiment.     As  every  week  Sd 

/r:  *-  "^^--^ed  miles  to  i^  jjx^tt 

constant  opportunity  to  try  the  eleotno  o^-tntTn 
o  ger  d^tanees  and  with  new  conditions.    ZZ  ' 
2  ob^med  showed  the  rapid  and  marvellous  pro^ 
r^.  °'  •'^"'""^  ^'^^o-     Said  the  London  Times 
The  scrence  of  making,  testing,  and  laying  caU^ 

msblated  wire  las  now  become  literally  impossible 
whdesomuch  a™  the  instruments  for  ^naC^' 

t  neofssapr,  but  it  is  even  easy  fo  «wi  am«»A  a^    ' 

>t  may  appear,  has  actually  been  achieved  for  some 
days  past  with  the  whole  Atlantic  cable  on  Z^2l 
G:.at  astern.    Out  of  a  length  of  more  tn 
thousand  seven  hundred  mile,  a  M,  h_.«  boea  J:^-_ 


M 


'k- 


._^*^if' 


i  -'^l^~^**,f'ifk^  i^ 


.^«^ 


/:■ 


lPH. 

;Ii6  largest 

3f  twenty 
d  perfect, 
ians  tried 
'ore.    As 
«ver  had- 
the  prob- 
e  grand- 
k  added 
iere  was 
Tent  on   , 
The  re- 
us prog- 
Times  : 
'  cables 
It  in  an 
ossiblg, 
ing  im- 
garded 

a  svh-    *' 
tripped 
ling  as  ' 

some 
rdthe 
Q  one 
taken ^ 


5'^ 


Y.^; 


^  HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      847 

from  the  centre,  the*  copper  conductor  stripped  clean  of 
its  insulation  for  a  foot  in  length,  and  iu  this  conditi(^ 
lowered  over  the  vessel's  side  till  it  rested  on  the 
ground.  ,.Yet  through  this  the  clearest  signals  have 
been  sent— so  clear,  indeed,  as  at  one  time  to  raise  the 
question  whether  it  would  not  be  worth  while- to  grap- 
ple for  the  first  old  Atlantic  cable  ever  laid,  and  with 
thesis  new  instruments  working  gently  through  it  for  a 
year  or  so,  ^t  least  make  it  pay  cost." 

As  other  things  were  on  the  same  gigantic  scale,  by 
the  time  the  big  fihip  had  her  cargo  and  stores  on 
board,^  she  was  well  laden.  Of  the  cable  alone  there 
•were  two  thousand  four  hundred  miles,  coiled  in  three 
immense -tanks  as  the  year  before.  Of  this  seven 
hundred  and  forty-eight  miles  were  a  part  of  the 


of  the  last  expedtl^^     The  tanks  alone,  with'^e 
water-  in  them,  weighed  over  a  thousand  tons ;  ^nd 
the  cable  which  they  heldf%ur  thousand  tons  more; 
besides  which  she  hadvto  (Mf  eight  thoua2,nd  five 
hundred  tons  of  coal  and  five  hundred  tons  ofSlgr^ptf?? 
stores,  making  fourteen   thousand  tons,  besides  en- 
gines, rigging,^etc.,  which  made  nearly  as  much  more.     . 
So  enormous  was  the  burden,  that  it  was  thougtit 
prudent  not  to 'take  on  board  all  her  coal  before  she. 
left  th«  Medway,  especially  as  the  channel  was  wind- 
ing and  shallow.    It  was  thei^fore  arranged  that  about 


atbrm  oTh'er  coal  should  belakenTn  at  Berehaven,  a 


*  --i 


3. 


a^ 


^rfi,4t^»::«^&* 


jM^wj 


ib^LifAci  .lA  lh& 


"*'^ 


1^ 


m^^^^'' 


port  on  the  «(^^#ISst  coai*% 
excei^lpo,  h^r  lading^fias  comjiiike. 
,.mi  .  ...     „     aepaartui-e  had  bee 

Vsd'ldifnirable'had 


Ilia 


fiS-  W  It 


'^^I'-'Mv 


;'^« 


!eii  ;iih#  amiige- 


|e  diligence  of  all  concerned,  that 
lobr  of  noon,  she  looked-  from  her 


..^^.^  .y^-  -. . ;  y^j  '^ffa^  ^-  niove.     It  wa^^ell  that  sl^e 
.JW^t  6nbb^d  her  whole  cargo;  fb^  it  was,  she 
'^"^r^e^^  thirtj-two  feet.      Never   &  any  keel 
g  .pressed  so  deep  in  those  waters.     It  reqi^red  skilfhl 
•||ahdling  to.gether  safely  to  the  sea.'   d^tly  and" 
Ibftlv  she  floated  down,  over  bars  where  she  almost. 
.■    ^azed  the  shad,"  where  but  a  few  inches  lifted  her' 
enormous  hull  above  the  rivep's  bed.    But  at'  length 
the  rising  tide  beara  her  safely  over,  and  she.is  afloat 
•in  the  deeper  waters  of  the  Channel     At  first  the  sea 
did  not  give  her- a  very  gracious  welcome.    The  wind 
•  was  dead    ahead,   and  the  waves'  dashed  furiously 
agaiiist  her;  but  she  kept  steadily  on,  tossing  their 
spray  on  higli,  aa  if  they  had  struck  against  the  rocks 
of  Eddystone  lighthouse.    In  four  or  five  days  she  had 
paased  down  the  Irish  coast,  and  wa^  quietl^jbphored 
in  the  harbor  at  Berehaven,  where  she  waslKoined 
by  the  oth^essels  of  the  squadron        \'SKk'  ■- 

The  Te|^|,h  fleet  was  not  thefl^fcaETof  ih^     " 
last  year. <Wi  gov^nment  could  sHKa  single 
8h]h:  hut  iU  To^n^k^^  ^i,^--L,   hniT  JiMliibliil  III,, 


•r 


'* 


i4i- 


'  <• 


H"  V 


.  »v 


kA 


\ 


.,Jf 


HiSTOKY  OP  THE  <^TLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       349 

Great  Eastern  on  the  former  expedition,  was  still  there 
■    to  represent,  the  majesty  of  England.    The  William 
.,Corry,  a  vessel  of  two  thousand  tons,  bore  the  ponder- 
ous shore  end,  which  was  to  be  laid  out  thirty  miles 
from  the  Irish  coast,  ivhile  the  Albany  and  the  Med- 
(way  were  ships  chartered  by  the  Company.     The  lat- 
'ter  carried  several  hundred  miles  of  the  last  gear's 
cable,  besides  one  of  heavier  proportions,  ninety  miles 
long,  to  be  stretched  across  the  mouth  oflhe  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.     , 

While  the  Great  Eastern  %-^ained  at  Berehaven, 
to   take   in   her   final  stores  of  coal,  the  William 
Corry  proceeded    around  the  coast  to  Valentia   to  • 
■  lay  the  shore  end.     She  arrived  off  the  harbor  on  the 
morning  of  Saturday,  the  seventh  July,  and  imme- 
diately ^fegai^  tt)  prepare  for  her  heavy  task.    This 
shore.e»d  was  of   tremendous  size,  weighing  twenty 
tons  to  the  mile.     It  is  by  far  the  strongest  wire  cable 
'  ever  made,  and  in  short  lengths  is  stiff  as  aii  iron  bar. 
As  the  year  befpr^^,the  cable  wa''  to  be  brought  off  on 
a  b^^^^^^laJplenittg^  from  the  ship  to  the  foot  of  " 
,  the  Miff.    All  tl4;'fiMie^en's  boats  were  gathered 
^om  alongs  th«  shore,  while  H.  M.  S.  Racoon,  wbich, 
was  guarding  that  part  of  th#iboast,  gept  up  iter- boats  • 
to  help,  so  that,  as  they  all-  mustereff  in  line,  tihere 
'  were  forty  of  thera,  makftng- a  loqj^  pontoon-bridge; 


and  Irish  boatmen 


jth  edger  bpks  and^strong  handa 


<«^-;%^ 


'*'•» 


',  v'*      '%\}^ 


5,-* 


(^ 


•-nw 


# 


ft 


I' 


^ 


•'V 


''i'^^mr.^^. 


>f'"r'' 


\ 
850  ^  BISTOBT  or  THE  ATIAOTIO  TELEGEAPH. 

J|e  Standing  alo.g  the  line,  to  groap  theponde^^^ 

wt"kndtd  ^r."^"'  f'l  by^e  o'clock  the  cable 
m     Th  '?  ^''™"g''t  up  the  cliff  to  the 

station.    The  mgnala  were  found  to  be  perfect,  and  the 


BOM  Bin>--nuoT 


Boa, 


2,  ""^  *°^'  ""  ^''^  '"^  ««•''  over  the  wl,oTe 

thirty  miJes.    Af  three  o'clock  ue^t  momiug  she  Sf 
graphed  through  the  cW.  .i...  i,       ""'"S  «"«  tele- 

-.hehadb4.e^:^i^dtr::i::tr' 


\^f  %,..,'_  ^  K^y  ^^^mco&i. 


/ 


'fe'®S"?^r 


1^^'   '"--  'T 


"7 


V 


■'^ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH.       851 

"  In  its  .leading  features  it  presfcited  a  striking  dif: 
ference  to  the  ceremony  of  last  jeJ.    Earnest  gravity 
and  a  dfeep-seated  determination  tc/ repress  all  show  of 
the  enthusiasm  of  which  every  body  was  full,  was  very 
manifest.    The  excit^mek^  was  below;^iiistead  of  above 
the  surface.     Speech-making,  hurrahing,  public  con- 
gratulations, and  vaunts  of  confidence  were,  as  it 
seemed,  avoided  as  if  on  purpose.     There  was  some- 
^   thing  far  more  touching  in  the  quiet  and  reverent 
solemnity  of  the  spectators  yestel-'aay  than  in  the 
slightly  boisterous  joviality  of  the  peasantry  last^year. 
Nothing  could  prevent  the  scene  being  intensely  dra- 
matic, but  the  prevailing  tone  of  the  drama  was  serious 
instead  of  comic  and  triumj)hant.     The  old  crones  in 
tattered  garmente  who  co\Vered  together,  dudheen  in 
mouth,  their  gaudy  colored  shawls  tightly  drawn  over 
head  and  under  the  chin— the  barefooted  boys  and 
girls,  who  by  long  practice  walked  oyer  sharp  and. 
jagged- rocks,  which  cut  up  boots  and  shoes,  with 
per^t  impunity— the  men  at  work  uncovering  th^ 
trench^  and  winding  in  single  file  up  and  down  the 
hazardous  path  cut  by  the  cablemm  in  the  otherwise " 
inacce^^e  rock  — the  patches  pt  bright  color  fur- 
niahQ(y|y  the  red  petticoats  and  cloaks — the  ragged 
garmej>fe,  only  kept  from  falling  to  pieces  by  bits  of 
J"°g-^°^  ^ff~^J'^Q,gQQ4jJd  parish  priest^  wlin  exert 


cises^d  and.  gentle  sprritual  sway  over  the  loving 


'>«^uKt.^   ^  ti      vfi    li"' 


J.,  Jf    *. 


»  * 


.       '^'^ 


i        ' 


■'  \ 


.# 


W 


y 


subjecte-of  whom  tl#^5„  f.,.  g  of  Kerry     " 
»  the  temporal  head,  looting  oo  beuig'ly  from  h^ 

3cnbe„.th  justice.    Add  to.thi.the  sLiagabrup  - 

of  «e  water,  the  alternations  of  bright  wild  Sote  and 
patches  of  Verfure  with  k.  moat  desolate  ba„X 
the  mountam  aheep  indifferently  cropping  theX^ 

ri?T^  and  the  nndereurrent  of  ^mfiousne^^f 
tne  fa^ty  interests  at  stake;  and  few  scenes  will 

~ore.mportant.dinte.sting  than  that  of^ 

f  ,,  ^^^  ^6  on  board,  we  may  ]ook  aboilt  ua 
^  the  pe^nelT^^tho  e^edition:  Wip  ^te^ 
We  recogiip^oy  old  %iliar  ^face«ihat  we  have 
*en.nform&aigns_.^,^j^3,,„^'"^«    ^ 

rnanyase.flght.iJthiBpe^^,K  'tfefTh^S  ' 
seeks  the  tall  form  o«^ffI^,^„..    ^,^^f^ 

%.   -  LT      .  :".'*«^^^'^P'-r»«i».  but  ^ing  eve^ 
^  4  "8'  wateh«g..very-fng,  a„d  „,-  ,^^,^        ^ 

I  >^^haqn.etpower.  And  there  is  his  second  offlcerf 
Mr.  9alpm,  who  keeps  a  sharp  lookout  after  the 
crew  to  see  that  every  man  does  his  duty,  ml 
he  thus  keei«-  wateh  of  .11  on  bo„,,.  ^^^^       - 


•.S  ^"■«-    .- 


J  ^ 


f  ApPKS- 


1  "V  *'»-^., 


) 


HISTORV  OF  THE   ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPIT.       353 

mahder  Moriartj,  R.  K,  comes  on   deck,  with  in- 
struments in  hand',  to,  look  after  the  heavenly  bodies,  , 
and  reckon  the  shipVlatitnde  and  longitude.     T:*hjs 
is  an  old  vetei-an  in  the,  service,  who  has  been  in 
Mil  the  expeditions,  and  it  wo.uldbe  bfghly  improper, 
evea  if  it  were  possible,  for  a  (Jable  to  "be  laid  across 
the  Atlantic  without  his  presence  and  aid.  -And  here 
comes.  Mr.  Canning,  the  engineer,  whose   "  deep-sea 
soundings,"  "the  last  year,  were  on  a.,scal0,  of  such  . 
magnitude,-  and  who,  if  he  cannot  well  dive  deeper,,    ' 
means  to  pull  stronger  the  next  time.     That  slight 
1^  W  yonder  is  Professor  Thomson,  of  Glasgow,  a  man    .. 
«|in  his  knowledge  of  the  subtle  element  to  be  . 
li^ofght  info  play,  and  the  enthusiasm  he  brings  to  its 
study,  is  the  very  genius  of  electrical  science ;  and  this     ' 
is  ^r.  Varley,  who  seems  to  have  the  lightning  in  his   ' 
fingers,  and  to  whom  the  world  owes  sOme  marvc'"' 
discoveries  of  the  laws  of  electricity.    Mr.  Wi]lot___ 
Smith,  a  worthy  associate  in  these  studies  and  dSjoT- 
eries,  goes  out  on  the  s^ip  as  electrician. 

^Atod  here  is  Mr.  Glass,  the  managing  director  of  the 
Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Company, 
which  has  undertaken  by  contract  to  manufacture  this 
cable  andiay  it  safely  across  the  ocean;,. and  Mr. 
Gooch,  chairman  of  the  company  that  owns  the  Gr^at 
Eastern— twQ.^TitJemeii^tQjghomtbe--Atfaatife 


m 


graph  is  under  the  greatest  obligation,  since  it  ^m 


fir      '    '- 


i>. 


# 


i*-^ 


I  r^mi'  '      ,.y'^ 


*ir~ 


m 


'        ■       ■:      '-'■■:.    •  ■■    ■.  ■  ■       v.,     >, 

«64       BSStOnY%  THE  ATLiNTIq  TEtKGIUPB. 

>S  danger  of  being  g,ven  up  or  postponed  for  ve™ 

JaaW  effort     BlessmgB  on  their  hearts  of  oak  I     Mr 

Goioh  a^ompanies  the  ship,  while  Mr.  Glass,  keepin. 

,  -M.  Varle,  at  his  side  aa  olectrieian,  remairon  shZ! 

there  to  reeeiye  reports  of  the  dail^r  pr„g^^  „,  ,J 

: .     e.ped,t,on,  and  u,  issue  his  oraers."^  Wat  a  ^  of 

■  ^ZrrT  T  r'^^"""'  '°^  o"  '"«  =' «-s  of 

font  loll  .    '"  '"  ^'"^  *''""  ""^  '°™'  °f  G-'iH  ■ 
for  .t  ooked  out  on  a  broader  horizon,  one  stretehidj^ 

.  a    undred,  t.„es  as  far  a.und  the  world.    Was  thet 

.     ever  a  eommander  endowed  with  such  a  ia„»  of 

::::\  '"'^'r"''  ^*°»  ""^  -«.  *f  ^e  had  ;=:. 

a  spy  glass  w.th  whieh  le  could  wateh  ships  in  aetion 

ot  the  NJe  from  his  home  in  England 
^Standing  on  such  a  spot,  and  surrounded  by  such 
men,  representinK  the  canitnl-.i,.      •       ''"•'^"'^ 
skill  of  p„  1    ;,      •  7        '^     '  ™  science,  and  the  ■ 

■  *  ,  °f  ^"8'«'"''  '"'•>  "U  those  gallant  ships  in  sight 
o^es  heart  might  well  beat  high.  But  th^  ^^ 
ote  reflections  that  saddened  the  hour,  and  ea^d     ' 

wrn::L^'''T*"-    ^-"^^-^ughtofsomevlo 
^  not  thera    Brett.  Mr.  Field's  lln,t  fri.ud.in  gua- 


_teL_. 


s«,.« 


/; 


'h 


PH. 

5t  seemed 
for  jears, 
Q  on  to  a 
kl     Mr. 
keeping 
►n  shore, 
3  of  the 
>  post  of 
chfis  of 
Galileo, 
'etchii% 
IS  there 
tnge  of, 
ad  had 
action 

B    to  T8t 

3uch  a 
battle 

'■  such 
d  the  • 
sight, 
were 
lused 

who 


. "    •   ■  > 

HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  t'IeGRAPH.       855 

land,  was  in  his  grave.    Beyond  the  Atlantic,  Captain. 

Hudson  and  Berryman  slept  the  sleep  that  knows  no 

^  waking.     Was  it  strange  that  thej  should  think  sadly 

.  and  tenderly  of  the  absent  and  the  dead,  and  mourn 

^    that  many  who  had  toiled  with  them  in  fonner  days 

were,  not  there  now  to  share  their  triumpli  ? 

The  feeling,  therefore,  of  many;  on  this  occasion 
was  not  one  elate  with  pride  and  hope,  but  subdued, 
by  serious  thoughts  and  tender  memories.    In  har-' 
mony  with  this  feeling,  and  with  the  great  work  which  • 
they  were  about  to  undertake,  it  was  proposed  that 
before  the  expedition  sailed  they  should  hold  a  solemn, 
.religious  service. 

Was  there  ever  a  fitter  place  or  a  fitter  hour  for 
prayer  than  here,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  sea  to 
which  they  were  about  to  commit  their  lives  and  their  • 
precious  trust?    The  first  expedition  ever,  sent  forth 
had  been  consecrated  by  prayer.    On  that  very  spot" 
nme  years  before,  all  heads  were  uncovered  aiid  all 
forms  bent  low,  at  the  sdemn  words  of  supplication  ^ 
and  there  had  the.  l«#:^^arlisle-since  gone  to  hil 
honored  grave-ch^ai^hem  on  with  high  religious 
hopes,  describing  the  ships  ^hich  were  sent  forth  on 
such  a  mission,  as  '^  beautiiul  upon  the  waters  as  were    ' 
the  feet  upon  th6.  mpuutains  of  them  that  publish  the  • 
gospel  of  peace." 


"Tffjsuor alpint  two  of  the  directors—Mr.  Bevan 


r 


1  ' 


m;«# 


^ 


^r^";.;  -, 


356     'HISTORY  OF  THE  AlJjLANTIO  TELEGRAPH. 

A, 

of  London,  and  Mr.  Bewley,  of  Dublin--sent  Cita- 
tions to  a  number  of  persons  to  meet  at  Valentia,  as 
the  expedition  was  abouf  to  sail,  and  .commend  it  to 
the  favor  of  Almighty  God.     Captain  Anderson  had, 
greatly  desired  to  be  with  them  at  this  parting  service,  .• 
but  the  ships  were  at  Berehaven,  and  they  were  just  •; 
-  .  embarking  for  sea.'-    But  though  the  officers  could  iot 
be  present,  a  large  company  came  together.     Saidf  an 
Irish  paper :  "  Men  of  different  religious  denomina- 
tions, and  of  various  professions  in  life— Iri&men, 
^Englishm§n,  and  Scotchmen-joined  in  such  a  service 
as  has  never  been  held  in  this  island."    It  was  a  scene" 
long  to  be  remembered,  as  they  bowed  together  before 
\  the  God  and  Father  of  all.     Their  brethren-,  who  were  - 
.about  to  go  down  to  th^sea  in  ^hips,  felt  their  de-  ■ 
^  ,pe.n4ence  on  a  Higher  ^ower.    meir  preparations 
wevs  complete.     All  that  man  could  do  was  done. 
Hhej  had  ^hausted  every  resource  ADf  science  and 
skilk     The  issue  now  remained  with  Him  %ho  con- 
•  trols  the  winds  and  waves.     Therefore  wiis  it  most  fit '    ' 
that,  at  the  very  moment  of  embarking,  those  who      ' 
remained  behind  should,  as  it  w«i-e,.kneel  upoil  -the      ^ 
cli^  and,  with  outstrc^tched  hands,  "cimmit  ttem  to 
Him  ^ho  alone  sjyeadcth  out  the  heaven^  and  ruleth    • 
the  ^^aging  of  the  sea .,     '  •   .  ,^     " 

-^  all  this"  there  k  something  of  anli^^etamp, 
_^,^l^^°g  ^.^^^^  JE^^ J^a  tjhir. V  g£  tha:< 


•V 


* 


( 
1 
1 

"I 


•■'li' 


V 


», 


S  / 


'- 


'*;■' 


M-l 


HISTORY^  THE  ATLANTi<J  TELEGRAPH. 


357 


Jhi 


/Of  an  earlier  and  bglter  time ;  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
V  kneeling  oi^  the  deck' of  their  little  ship  at  Lejrden,  as 
theywere  about  to  seek  a  refuge  and  a  home  in  the 
forests  of  the  New  Wo^^d  ;  and  of  Cohimbus-tind  his 
companions  celebrating  a  solemn  service  before  tlieir  ■ 
departure  from  Spain.     And  so  with  labor  and  with 
prayer  did  this  great  expedition  go  forth  once  more 
from  tiie  shores' of  Irelartd,  l^earing  the  hopes  of  science 
and*  of  civilization— with  courage  and  skill  looking 
(>ut  from  the  bow  across  the  stormy  waters,  imd  a 
.«piigious  faith,  like  that  of  Colwnbus,  standing  at  the 
tielml.  •   ■  ■  ■ 

^    On  *>-iday  mornfhg,  the  thirteenth  of  July, -the  fleet 

,  finally  .'bade  adieu  to'  tlie  'land.     Was  Friday  an  un- 

^'^  lucky  <lay?    Some. of  th,e,  sailors  thought  so,  and 

would. hiivQ  been  glad  to  leave  a  day  before  or  after... 

But  Columbus  sailed  on  Fri<Jay^d  discovered  the 

,.  New  World  on  Friday,  and  so  tfcif  expedition  ^ut  ta 

sea  on  Friday,  and,  as  a -good  Providehce  would  have   " 
:>j'it,  reached  land  Sn  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  on 
"'th^^^  day  of  the  week!     As  the  ships  disappeaijed   , 
below  t^  ilorizon,  Mr.  Gjass  and  Mr.  Var%  went  up  * 
m  their  watch.towei^not,tovlook,il)ut  t^. listen,  f^'« 
the  ,:arst^ice^^om  the  sea.     Th#,ll)i|s  bore  away  for 
the  Uo^hfiTi  lafthe  end  of  th©'^re;Ki^  j^but  the  ^. 
wither  ^ag  thio^  and  %gy>-fwith'fyequent  bursts  of .' 
'^-(i^  Tain,  and  they  could  norse#f£S  on  thel7lir*rFor~^ 


^ 


*    '« 


I. 


.  L- 


V 


J»1^ 


H 


% 

"i 


■'4 


/ 


•jmM 


^^m 


S58       HISTORY.  pP  THE  ATLANHC  TELEGRAPH. 

an  hour  or  two  they  went  sailing  round  and  round 

fathom,deep,  and  brought  over  the  ste™  rfjfi'l 
■         W  ,.  and  the  wateho.  on  shore, Th  teTn 

™  .ng  .,U.  so„e  impatience,  saw'th'e  ii^t  flash  Zl 
.      Varley  read,  "  Got  the  shore  end-all  rirf,, 

make  tlieaplioe"    Tl,„„    „  ""  "SM-go,ng  to 

•'"■at  that  deie al  o^Jati      7^  ^"".' ""'' '^^^ ''"- 
nimble  hands  tore  off  t  *^'""«  ™-     «"'*■ 

of  th.  =1  .  '°™''"S  f™"  several  yards 

of  he  shore  end  and  of  the  main  cable,  till  they  cat^ 
to  the  core  ;  then,  swiftly  unwinding  tl.l  ^ 

■  they  laid  them  togethe,  twt  n  ^f  ""''P'"'  '""'-''■ 
carefully  as  a-  .i/ke;  b  id  t  ^;  f !!  "/  ^'"-'y  -'O 
nf  +1,^  /  ^®^  *^^s  dehcate  child 
of  th     ea  was  trapped  in  swaddling-clothes;  covered 

"ope  and"Z  """""^  "'  «"""•"-'"»•  -"  "-P™      ' 

.      a  "rrnd^'S  ^^  y^ds" ^ t  'T  '-" 
'      complete.     Si-^nals  are  n„  ,         'P'"="S  ^"^ 

cablf  on  board  teGreaEr:        ""/"  *'"  ^'^^ 
-e^pU  house  at  vrti^rd^rw^C 

■  ->.    It'laatt,erftt'^r;^'^''-;;>.e.be„r    . 
to  th.  west,  the  followingW^L^f  :;■'« 


x;-7;*'>>.i:. 


:s^ 


■W"  ;'\' 


nd  round, 
le  Albany 
aves,  and, 

it     The 

hundred 
the  Great 
lad  been 
Jash,  and 
-going  to 
ej  knew 

Quick, 
al  yards 
ey  came 
!r  wires, 
G^y  and 
e  child 
covered 
lempen 

round  . 
'g  wa^ 

whole 
to  the 
engt!i, 
iles,  is      ' 
'■  bear 
'  turfa 
Ule";* 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC)  TELEGRAPH.       359 

the  Terrible  goes  ahead,  standing  oflf  on  the  starboard 
bow,  to  keep  other  vessels  out  of  the  course ;   the 
Med  way  is  on  the  .port,  and  the  Albany  on  the  star- 
board quarter,  read^  to  pick  up  or  let  ^o  a  buoy,  or 
to  do  other  worl?  ^at  might  bel-equired.     All  these 
ships  were  to  keep' their  allotted  positions,  and  within 
signalling  distance  of  the  Great  Eastern,  an(i  at  any 
time  that  she  was  heard  firing  guns,  they  were  to  close  in 
with  her  to  render  assistance.     Their  course  laythiity 
mijes  to  the  south  of  that  of  the  last  year,  so  that 
there  could  be  no  danger  in  fishing  for  the  old  cable,* 
.  of  disturbing  the  new.  .      " 

Dr.  Eussell,  the  brilliant  historiaft  of  tlie  Expedition 
■of  .1865,  was.  not  on  board  the  Grvvat  Eastern  this 
year.     He  had  left  England  a  few  iveeks  before  for 
the   scene   of.  the  war  in  Gern^aiy     His  place  was 
supplied  by  Mr.«nrohn  0.  Deane,  th« -Secretary  of  the    • 
Anglo-American  Company,  whose  "Diary  qf  the  Ex- 
pedition" furnishes  a  faithful  record  of  the  incidents 
of  this  me^jiorable  voyage.^    If  the  st^ry  be  not  quite 
so  thrilling  as  that  of  the  year  before,  it  is  because  it 
has  not  to  tejl'  of  such  fatal  accidents.     It  has.  the-   ' 
monotony  of  success.     A  few  pages  fronl  this  diary, 
^ivmg  its  most  important  portiona,  will  rentier  this 
narrative  complete.     >k       "  .  *.  ,  -•     • 

TKis  voyage"  began,  with  good  weath4"and  every 


^Wsr  adj^ror:|og" 


,«-s,..,.:4k4.._ 


■   » 

^ 

-' 

» 

■•^- 

. 

' 

„ 

1         # 

1        -, 

'(. 

t 

p 


I  —      ,, , 

-■>•■■    ■    * 


y\  ■ 


'■(^^  •■ 


/ 


¥ 


360 


HISl'OBr  OP  THE  ATI,AimO  TELEGRAPH 


•  ,tl* V'"^. -f  ""  '"^  "■"'  '''"y  ''^'  ""ki^g  the 

-day  and^ay,  Mr.  Field  writes  i„  tis  journal 

Weather  fine ;"  _and  Monday.  "  Cal»,  beautiful  day 

.     ^^S""'^  P^'^-t"    O-ing    to  the  improved   syste^ 

:■   ^*pt^  by  the  chief  .ieetr^an,  co  JunieatiolO 

.    fte  shore  was  kept  up  even  M-hile  thetests  for  insula- 

*  tion  were  going  on.* 

neglwled.    Abo,  wbUe  ihe  iSsalation  teM  wm  bein^  „.j    ,v 

n.™.  «■„.,,  bo.b :.  C  VsCTirr  °?T'''*^ ' 

hniif  ♦!,»        ...  ""wt.    Ai  Stated  times  durini;  ths 

nour,  the  continuity  test  is  mud*.  «t  ♦».»    u  .  '"'"g  me 

/  made  at  the  shore  statipn  by  means  of  a 

'         ■  ■ ■'  I  ■!  -  ■».  ..■-■....— ..I—,    ■  ...      .,:  ■         .        .1.  .1-1  ff«.  . .;  ....p— — 

•  ■     V'  '.-" "    .  •  •    '      .     V  ■ .  - 


\ 


\  msTOEY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELE8BAPH.   8«1 

Ev6r^  possible -precaution  ws*  taken   t,  guard 
aga.nst  such  accidents  aa  had  marr«i  the  succe^T  of 
the  year  before.    Bemembering  how  small  a  thin* 
had  sufficed  to  puncture- the  cable,  the  men  in  the 
tank  were  not  allowed  to  wear  boots  or  shocks 'with  » 
uails  m  their  heels,  but  were  cased  from  #ad  to  foot 
i^  canvas  dresses,  drawn  over  their  ordinary  sailor 
costume,  and,  with  slippe:.  on  their  ,feet,  thej  glided 
about  assoffly  as  ghosts.    But  we  turn  to  Mr.  dLc's 
;  l-yfor  a  record  of  the  progre^-fl.:,  day  to  day:' 
§<»day,  My  15.  _  A.,  though  yestWday  the  ■ 
Pay.bg-put.maehineo'    work^    so    smoodlyLtbe 

•it::  thTf  r  ^  ^^^^'-'"^  -^-  - 

sp  fine,  that  fab  confidence  in  the  .ultimate   re- 
suit    has    been    naturally  inspired.      *he    recoUe* 

-  t^  however,  of  the  reVe,.es  of  the  expedition  of 
I860  :s  always  before  those  who  haye.the  greatest 

-  ^^I'^ce  on  success,;  and  ftere  is  a  quiet  repose  about   , 

reTCrsmg  the  current  for  ..«^.:„  1 .,  _     -    .  J' B«npiy 


««__  ■  •       ..  *  — ~  wg,..»io  ,u  Buure-  Dv  Bimniv 

~™r.„g  „.  .,™.  ,„  ,^  ,^„^  ^^  ^^^^  >.  "P. 

«e.  or  by  i„e,^toj  „j  ji^i^^i.^^  „_^^2p  ^^^^V 
■mg  to  a  .prearranffeH  ril.n       in  xt..  .  /  '^ 


understood 

«.^  according  to  a  .prearranged"  p^.  AH  tW  operati;^  „ar  I*' 
perfo^ed  uhout  inte.up,„,  ,,«  insulation .  tea,  ex^pt'L;'^ 
^^  the  current  Is  .eing  re.e.ed.^  ^r  f.r  t  J,„.  ,;^ 


.  1-  Uie  ele«iri«ir5omVo9n.p«red  with  last 

J     f       " 

> '4;,       '   '    ■■^  -      ■ 


year." 


V 


V 


41 


...4 


*^u    ^ 


r  f 


SB       HEnX)BY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH, 

^  manner  of  the  chief  practical  men  on  board,  wycfc 
is  -an  earnest  that  they  will  not  allow  themselves  to 
be  cacned  away  by  the  smo^othne^s  of  twenty-four  ■{ 
hours  events.  The  convoy  kept^%eir  position  aceu- 
rateiy  during  the  day.  The  Terrible  signal  that  a 
man  had  fallen  pverbo£^rd.  Il^r  cutter  was 'speedily -- 
lowered.  The  sailor  had^  however,^  laid  hold  of  a  ropo 
thrown  to  hini  from  the  frigate,  before  the  boat  reached 
,   him. 

'.'Monday.— Still  everything  going  on  well.  The 
seaylike  a  mill-pond.  The  paying  but  of  the  cable 
from  the  after  tank  progressing  with  tmiformity  and 
steadiness,  and  the  electrical  tests  perfect- 

"  Our  track  is  about  thirty  miles  to  the  south  of 
that, of  last  year,  and  at  that  distance  tve  pasbcd  paral- 
lel, to  where  the  telegraph  cable  parted  in  August, 
1857.    bur  average  speed  has  been  about  five  knots. 

„  We  were  obliged  to  stop  the  screw  engines  in  order  to 
bring  down  to  that  spe^d,  and,  moreover,  to  j-educe  the 
paddle  boiler  power.  Captain  Anderson'a  ingenious 
mode  of  cleaning  the'  ship's  bottom,  which  he  carried 
out  Igst  winter  at  Sheemess,  has  proved  to  have  ef- 
fected this  very  desirable  olpject  Mr.  Beckwith,  the 
engineer,  is  now  enabled  to  regulate  and  adjust  her 
speed,  and  get  more  out  of  the  ship  than  he  could  last  . 

'  y^^iT^^^  ter  bottom  was  one  incrusted  mass  of 
musartfl.    LJ 


-TT" 


i 


:^'J    *'■.>;- 


It. . ./. 


1    ,.A   k 


./•^ 


i  I 


„      ™«>Er  OF  THE  ^TLAKTIC  „LEaj^„_      jBg 

"^^esday.-Another  twent/four  hours' of  uninter- 
"Pt^  suece..     All  day  yesterday  ft  wa.,  so  caUn  that 
•   the  «asts  of  our  eonVoy  we  reflected  in.  the  oeean 

•gamboUjd  about  us  for  half  an  hour.     A  giTrious 
■  .    --et,  and  later,  a  eresecntmoon,  whieh  we  Lpfto 

Tnn^^Bay  before  the  days  of  this  July  shall  have 

But  the  whole  night  did  not  pass  awa)  so  tnm, 
qu'lly^    By  midmghyhe  rain  fell  fast,  and  the  wi  J 
Uewfcreely,  and  thel,  oceurred  the  only  real  alann 
pj^?  ™We.    The  seene  is  thus  described  by  Mr/  ^ 

"All  went  on  well  until  t^ty  minutes  past  twelve 
K>IL,  Greenwich  time,  when  the  first  real  shoek;^^ 
given  to  the  success  which  has  hitherto  attended  us  -S 
and  th,s  time  we  had  real  cause  to  be  alarmed.    A 
foul  flake  took  place  in  the  after  tank     The  engines 
were  immediately  turned  astern,  and  the  paying  out 
of  the  cable  stopped.    Weywere  all  soon  on  deck!  and 
learned  that  the  runnin/or  paying  out  part  of  the 
coil  had  caught  three  t/ns  of  the  flake  immediately 
<mdf,r  It,  earned  them  into  the  eye  of  the  coU,  fouling 
the  lay  out,  and  hauling  up  one  and  a  half  turns  fe>m 
the  outside,  and  five  turns  in  ,.h«  .,.  „.  thn  undo.       ' 


V 


^ftSret"  TE 


IS  was  stopped,  fortunately,  before  entering 


.     864       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

.the  paying  out' machinery.  Stoppers  of  hecc^  also 
y^ere  put  on  near  the  V-wheel  astern,  and  Mr.  Canning 
gave  orders  to  stand  by  to  let  go  the  buoy.  This  was 
not  very  cheering  to  hear,  but  his  calm  and  collected 
manner  gave  us  all  confidence  that  his  skill  and  expe- 
rience would  extricate  the  cable  from  the  obvious 
danger  in  which  it  was  jflaced.  No  fishing  line  was 
"ever  entangled  worse  than  the  rope  was  when  thrust  up 
in  apparently  hopeless  knots  from  the  eye  of  the  coil 
to  the  deck.  There  at  least  five  hundred  fee<;  of  rope 
lay  in  this  state,  in  the  midst  of  thick  rain  and  in- 
creasing wind.  The  cable  crew  set  to  Vorl^nder  their 
chief  engineer's  instructions  to  disentangle  it  Mr. 
Halpin  was  there  too,  patiently  following  the  bights 
as  they  showed  themselvesj  the  crew  now  passing 
them  forward,  now  aft,  untir  at  last  the  character  of 
the  tangle  was  seen,  and  soon  it.  became  apparent  tb^  "\  ' 
ere  long  the  cable  would  be  cleared.  AH  this  time 
Captain  Anderson  was  at  the  tafirail  aiL^iously  watch- 

I  ing  the  strain  on  the  r^pe,  which  he  could  scarcely. 

y  make  out,  the  night  was  so  dark,  and  endeayoring  to 
keep  it  up  arid  down,  going  on  and  reversing  with 
paddle  and  screw.  When  one  reflects  for  a  moment 
upon  the  slze^f  the  ship,  ah^  the  enormous  mass  die 
presents  to  the  wind,  the  difficulty  of  keeping  her 
Btem,  under  the  circumstances,  over  the  cable,  can  be 
flirprffliated.  The  port  paddle-wheflli 


\ 


X. 


C 


n 


.-*^ 


HISTOIIYOF  THE    ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH,      866 

but  shortly  afterward  there^as  a  shift  of^wind  and 
the  vessel  canted  .the  wrong  way.     Welcome  voices 
were  now  heard  passing  the  word  aft  from  the  tank 
that  the  bightal  were  cleared,  and  to  pay  out.     Then 
the  huge  stoppers  were  gently  loosened,  and  at  five 
■minutes  pa^t  two  A.M.,  to  the  joy  of  all,  we  were  once 
more  discharging  the  cable.     They  veered  it  away 
m  the  tank  to  clear  avay  the  foul  flake  until  three 
A.M.,   when    ^e    screw    and    paddle    engines    were 
slowed  so  as'  to  reduce  the  speed  of  the  ship  to  four 
and  a  half  knots.     Dui;ing  all  this  critical  time  there 
was  an  entire  absence  of  noise  and  confusion.     Eyery 
order  was  silently  obeyed,  and  t^cable  meh  and 
crew  worked  with  hearty  gogd-will?^    Mr.  Canning 
has  had  eimerience  of '  foul  flakes  before  this,  and 
showed  tha^  he  knew  what  to.,ido  in  tie  emergency. 
But  what  of  the  electrical  condition  of  the  cable 
during  this  period.?    Simply,  thgt  "through  it^  .entire    ^ 
length  it  was  perfect." 

Thu<  after  three  anxious  houi^,  the. danger  was 
j^st,  and  the  next  morning  the  repog-df  the  ship  is      - 
"A  fresh  breez6  from  the  southward*  dull,  gray  sky,' 
with  occasiorial  rain,  and  a  moderate  sea." 

«  Thursday.-There  was  a  fresh  breeze  iii  the  after- 
noon   yesterday,    increasing    ^^^.-ey^^ing.       It 
brought  a  heavy ^swell  nn^^^ 
caitsed  the  ship  , to  roll  ^Thl 

T 


ii:d.-'( 
gt-^ 


Luartor,  whieiF 


'iftg  out  fitom  the 

Is  • 


v« 


866      HISTORY  OF  THB  ATLANTIC  TELEGEAPH. 


/ 


after  tank  went  on  steadily.     Two  of  the  large  buoyg, ' 
were  lifted  by  derrick  from  the  deck  near  the  bows 
of  the  ship,  and.  placed  in  pbaition  on  thff  port  and 
starboard  side  of  the  forward  pick-up  machinery, 
ready  for  letting  go  if  necessary.     The  sun  wenti 
down  with  an  angry  look,  and  the  scud  came  rapidly 
from  the  eastward,  the  sea  rising.    A  wind  dead  aft 
is  not  the  best  for  cable  laying,  particularly  if  any; 
aoolfili^  should  take  place.     By  half-past  eleven  to- 
shall  have  exhausted  the  contents  of  the 
k,  and  the  cable  will  then  be  paid  out  ftom 
tlie1iP*e  tank  along  the  trough  to  the  stem,  the 
'  distance  from  the  centre  of  the  tank  to  the  pajdng- 
out  machinery  being  four  hundred  and  ninety-four 
feet.     Last  night  the  swell  was  very  heavy,  to  which 
the  Great  Eastern  proved  herself  not  insensible.     Her 
rolling,  like  efery  thing  else  appertaining  to  her, 
is  done  on  a  grand  scale,      ye   see  the  liveliness 
with  which  that  operation  is   performed  on  board 
the  Albany  and  Medway,  and  we  are  not  at  all  dis- 
posed to  be  tod  critical  in  our  observations  on  our 
own  movements.     "Thes  speed  of  the  ship  was  kept  at 
four  and  a  half  during  the  night — ^the  slower  the  bet- ' 
ter,  IS  the  opmion  of  all  on  hoard— fesiina  lente.     We 
are  consuming,  about  one  hundred  'tons  a  day  of  the 
seven  thousand  tons  of  coal  which  We  had  on  board  .. 

when  wb  left  Bereha,ven,  and  Mr.  Beckwitji^ho  has 

■     "  i  '-    ■  .     . .  ,. 


'?«a 


HISTORY  Of  the  ATLANTIC  TELEGllAPH.       867 

been  engineer  of  the  Great  East^Arom  he^  first 

,  voyage  to  the  present  moment,  sa«er  engines  were 
never  in  better  order ;  and  their  appearance  and  work: 
mg  do  him  and  his  able  staff  of  assistant  engineers 
the  greatest  credit. 

"Friday.-^Yesterday  was  a  day  of  complete  success, 
tie  paying  out  in  every  respect  satisfactory.     The 
wind  still  from  the  eastward,  but  inclined  to  draw  to 
the  northward,  the  sea  entirely  gone  down.     As  Mr. 
Canning  told  us  we  should  see  the  after  tank  emptied 
at  eleven  o'clock,  ship's  time,  we  were  all  collected 
there  about  ten  o'clock,  by  which  time  the  cable  was' 
down  te^e  last  Hake.     Next  to  having  daylight  for 
changing  from  the  after  to  the  fore  tank,  we  could  not 
have  had  a  more  favorable  time-^lear  starlight,  no 
wind,  and  a  smooth  sea.     Looking  down' into  the 
tank,  the  scene  was  highly  Vcturesque.     The  cable- 
watch,  whose  figures  were  lighted  up  by  'the  lamps  ' 
suspended  from  above,  slowly  and  cautiously  lifted 
the  turns  of  the  coil  to  ease  their  path  to  the  eye. 
As  each  foufld  its  way  to  the  drum,  the  wooden  floor 
of  the  tank  showed  itself,  and  then  we  saw  more  floor, 
and  as  its  area  incr^sed  the  cable  swept  along  its  sur- 
face with  a  low,  subdued  noise,  until,  with  a  graceful  ;^ 
curve,  it  mounted  to  the  outlet,  where  it  was  soon  to     , 
join  a  fresh,  supply ;  and  now  we  hear  the  word  p^ga- 
\ed  that  they  have  arrived  at  the  I 


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868      HI8T0RY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELBOBAPH. 

men  who  stood  on  the  stages  of  the  platform  of  the 
eye  with  the  bight,  wxtch  the  arrival  of  the  cable, 
and  pass  it  up  with  tender  caution,  until  it  reaches 
the  summit ;  then  it  rushes  down  a  wooden  incline  to 
meet  the  spliced  rope,  which  had  by  this  time  come 
down  along  the  trough  leading  from  the  forward  tank. 
This  operation  was  conducted  with  gr^t  skill  by  Mr. 
Canning  and  his  experienced  a^ietants,  Messrs.  Clif- 
ford and 'Temple.    At  eleven  minutes  past  one  A.M., 
(Greenwich  time,)  the  fresh  rope  was  going  over  the 
stern,  and  the  screw  engines  going  a^ead  at  thirteen 
minutes  past  ona     A  watch  of  four  men  is  now  sta- 
tioned, fore  and  aft,  all  along  the  trough,  which  is 
illuminated  by  many  lamps  at  short  distances  from 
each  other.     A  lamp  with  a  green  light  indicates  the 
mile-mark  as  it  comes  up  from  the  tank,  and  this  sig- 
nal is  repeated  until  it  reaches  the  stem,  where  it  is 
recorded  by  the  clerk  who  keeps  the  cable-log,  in  an 
office  adjoining  the  *paying-out  machinery.    A  red  ^ 
lamp  indicates  danger.    During  the  daytime  red  and 
blue  flags  are  used.  ,  All  through  the  night  the  sea 
was  smooth  as  glass,  and  by  this  morning  we  saw  that 
a  sensible  impression  had  been  made  on  the  contents 
of  the  fore  tank.     The  ship  begins  to  lighten  a%the 
bows,  and  by  this  time  to-morrow  will  come  up  more 
fU9  the  cable  passes  out  of  thp  tank. 


X 


.■^ijiiv'.Hr'^^i..    hd^i.'l 


A. 


M:::  \, 


■,/ 


jfflSTOEr  OI-  im  ATLAOTIO  mEBKAM.      869 

than  the  expedition  of  l«t  year.    Buring  the  same 
penod  of  1865,  two  faults  had  oceu^^ne  oaT 
^ty-fourth  July,  the  other  on  the  twenty-ninth- 
-^«^ng  a  detention  of  flftysi^  h1,u«.    At  three  p  k 

Cable  of  1858  parted  twice,  on  the  twentysixth  and 
*wemy.e,ghth  of  June-sad  .nemories  U>  Lj  I    We 

o  htVT-  r^'  '  ""^  ""^  "'  0"  "=«='  say  to  an- 
oftar  last  n.ght    ■  I  believe  so  too,  Bill,-  was  the  «- 

»"•     It  blew  verr  hard  from  two  o'elock  yesterfay 
up  ^  ten  P.«:,  by  which  time  the  wind  g^di^Jw 

iTta^r'T'-r''''-'  tonorth-wes^^T^ 
nght  ahead,  just  what  we  want  for  oable-IayiA. "  The    ' 
Me  and  the  two  other  ships  p.ungi  LZ 
v-y  heavy  sea  which  the  southwester  ™ised,  and  wo 

Eastern  u  the  nght  ship  to  be  in,  in  a  gale  of  wind. 

mg^e  «a  was  oompa«tiveIy  smooth,  and  the  sky    ' 

would  bnng  u.  to  ri^„„„  ^^^  ,^_j  ^^  ^^  _^y^ 


^, 


vj/ 


'^iif.iAa-a.t'-ie.i!'*  w 


ik?.^.xk^<J^ 


mmm 


> 

i%^j*-: 


870       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

fairly  look  out  for  our  '  Heart's  Content'  Messages 
come  from  England,  with  the  news,  regularly  and 
speedily — exceljent  practice  for  the  clerks  on  shore 
and  on  board  ship — great  comfort  to  us,  and  the  best 
evidence  to  those  who  will  read  this  journal,  of  the 
great  fact  that,  up  to  this  time,  the  cable  is  doing  its 
electric  work  efficiently." 

The  interest  of  the  voyage  was  greatly  increased  by 
the  news  daily  received  from  Europe.    Though  in  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic,  they  were  still  joined  with  the 
Old  "World,  and  messages  came  to  the  "Great  Eastern 
Telegraph"  as  regularly  as  to  the  Times  in  London ; 
reporting  'the  quotations  of  the  Sto^^xchange,  the 
debates  in  Parliament,  and  aH  tlJHj^s  of  hom& 
But  what  was  far  more,  exciting,,  was  the  tidings  of 
the  great  events  transpiring  on  tl^e'Continent    While 
the  expedition  had  been  preparing  in  England,  a  war 
had  broken  out  of  tremendous  magnitude.    Austria, 
Prussia,  and  Italy  had  rushed  into  the  field.    Armies, 
such  as  had  not  met  since  the  fetal  day  of  Leipsic, 
stood  in  battle  army,  and  the  thun.der  of  war  was 
echoiijg  and  reechoing-  among  the'mountains  of  Bohe- 
mia*  Amid  these  convulsions'  the  fleet  set  sail ;  but  it 
was  still  linked  with  the  nations  which  it  left  behind, 
and  received  tidings  from  day  to  day.    What  grea^, 
events  were  thus  heralded  to  them  in  mid-oceaa  may 


^-T^ 


lw  J 


iff.   '  t^     *'     I   9 


^^iJ',ik$k 


fit*/' 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       371 

be:  seen  bj  a  few  items  gleaned  from  the  numerous 
despatches:  •  , 

"  Saturday  evening,  July  14th.-General  Cialdini  is 

movmg  upon  Rovigo  with  an  army  of  one  hundred 

-  thousand  men  and  two  hundred  guns.    The  Austrians 

have  evacuated  the  whole  country  between  the  Mincio 

andAdige.'^    A  day  or. two  later  : 

"  Cialdini  ha^  occupied  Padua,  twenty-three  miles 

ttVTT'  "  '''  '"'"'^  ^°""^^^"°  *^^^  -%with 
Veni?r'      ^*^     ' "'^  the  Austrians  are  shut  up  in 

"  ^™'"^y'  "ft— Prussians  had  successful  engage- 

Further  flghtmg  expected  to-day.    Austrians  With- 

drawing  from  Moldavi'atoward  Vienna." «  Conflict 

between  Prussians  ,nd  Fedenda  Prussians  complete- 
tyvictonous.  Federals  evacuating '  Frankfort  and 
J'russians  marching  there." 

jr"™,t^'-""'-~''"^'''"^'^P'^''°«™'<>™s,  and 
t^  V  .  Vienna-hare  out  the  railway 

Vu,mu,„nderl Archduke,  one  hundred  and  sixty' 
Wtoo:or.""?--"™~from' 

^  ■"-•-«  »  Vienn.     Yesterday,  Mian  fleet, 


t 


\ 


•iSf-lwl,.^'!. 


'.**"'''.*;\- 

% 


372 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


{ 


consisting  of  iron-clad  vessels  and  several  steamers, 
opened  attack  on  Island  of  Lissa  on  the  coast  of  Dal- 
matia — result  not  known."  The  next  day  it  is  report- 
ed thus :  "  Severe  naval  engagement  off  Lissa.  Aus- 
trians  claim  the  victory.  Sunk  one  Italian  iron-clad, 
run  down  another,  blew  up  a  third." 

"  July  21st — Prussians  crossed  river ;  march  near 
Holitzon,  Hungary.  Austria  accepted  proposal  of 
armistice.  Prussia  will  abstain  from  hostilities  for 
five  days,  during  which  Austria  will  have  to  notify 
f^Jceptance  of  preliminaries.  A  long  letter  published 
from  the  King  of  Prussia  to  the  Queen,  giving  account 
of  battle  of  Koniggratz." 

The  interest  excited  by  such  news  may  be  imagined, 
coming  while  the  events  were  yet  fresh.  Twice  a  day 
was  the  btilletin  set  up  on  the  d^ck,  and  was  surround- 
ed by  an  eager  crowd  reading  what  had  transpired 
on  the  Continent  but  a  few  hours  before.  Nor  was 
the  intelligence  confined  to  the  Great  Eastern.  By 
an  arrangement  of  signals,  more  complete  than  ever 
was  used  in  a  squadron  biefore,  the  news  was  telegraph- 
ed to  the  convoy.  All  the  ships  had  been  furnished 
with  experienced  signal-men  by  the  Admiralty.  The 
system  adopted  was  that  known  as  Colomb's  Flash. 
Signals,  by  which,  even  in  the  darkest  night,  messages 
could  easily  be  flashed  to  a  distance  of  several  milea 
Thus  all  th^  sMps  #erOupplied  with  liWOwice  jT 


,:.*v 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      373 

day,  and  the  great  military  eveijts  in  Europe  were  ais- 
cussed  m  every  cabin  as  eagerly  as  in  the  clubs  of 
London. 

.         "  Sunday,  July  22d.- Still '  success  to  record.     A 
bright,  clear  day,  with  a  fresh  and  invigorating  breeze 
from  the  north-west.     Cable  going  out  with  unerring 
smoothness,  at  the  rate  of  six  miles  an  hour.     There 
has  been  great  improvement  in  the  insulation.     This 
remarkable  improvement  is  attributable  to  the  greatly- 
decreased  temperature  pf,  and  pressure  on,  the  cable 
m  the  sea.     This  is  a  very  satisfactory  result  to  Mr 
WiUoughby  Smith.     Signals,  too,  come  eveiy  hour 
more  distinctly.     This  morning  the  ,breeze  freshened. 
T\[e  are  now  about  thirty  miles  to  the  southward  of 
the  place  where  the  cable  parted  on  the  second  of 
August,  1865,  having  then  paid  out  one  thousand  two 
hundred  and  thirteen  milea     Captain  Anderson  read 
divme  service  in  the  dining  saloon. 

"Monday.-Between  six  and  seven  p.m.  yesterday 
we  passed  over  the  defepest  part  of  our  course.  There 
was  no  additional  strain  on  the  dynamometer,  whicli 
indicated  from  ten  to  fourteen  hundred,  the  cable  go- 
mg  out  with  its  accustomed  regularity.  The  wind 
still  fresh  from  the  north-west  During  the  night  it 
-went  round  to  the  south-west,  and  this  morning  there 
IS  a  long  roll  from  the  southward. 

f^,,.-*-    .l-TT i-T ^-: T- = ^ n ^ — 


a 


^^^At^rty-six  minutes  past  eleven  A^^^Mn  Cyrus 


/:. 


i»dX^4  <% 


..V 


'^^'. 


jK  '    .'tJvajMV.  i.i.'*.<'*- 


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■;  <*i 


■« 


874       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Field  sent  a  message  to  Valentia,  requesting  Mr.  Glass 
to  obtain  the  latest  news  from  Egypt,  India,  and 
China,  and  other  distant  countries,  so  that  on  our  ar- 
rival at, Heart's  Content  we  shall  be  able  to  transmit  it 
to  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States*     In  just 
eight  minutes  he  had  a  reply  in  these  wor^s :  '  Your 
message  received,  and  is  in  London  by  this.'    Out^ 
side  the  telegraph  room  there  is  a  placard  put  up,  on 
which  is  posted  the  news  shortly  after  its  arrival,  and 
groups  of  the  crew  may  be  seen  reading  it,  just  as  we 
see  a  crowd  at  a  newspaper  office  in  London.     Mr. 
Dudley,  the  artist,  has  made  a  very  Spirited  sketch  of 
'Jack'  reading  the  contents  of  the  mornifig  ■  tele- 
graphic news  of  the  Times — Printing  House  Square 
being  distant  about  one  thousand  six  hundred  miles. 
On  board  the  Great  Eastern,  ship  of  luxury,  he  has 
been  supplied  with  the  latest  intelligence  from  the 
seat  of  war  twice  a  day.     How  he  will  grumble  when 
he  gets  ashore  !     He  is  not  going  to  pay  a  pound  a 
word  for  news,  but  his  newspapers  will  supply  it  to 
him,  and  he  does  not  know  or  care  what  it  costs. 
But  what  a  sum  has  been  spent  in  Atlantic  tele- 
graphs !     It  cannot  now  fall  short  of  two  millions 
and  a  half,  or  over  twelve  millions  of  dollara     More 
millions  will  be  found  if  it  shall  be  practically  proved 
that  America  can  permanently  talk  to  England,  and 
-through  hCT  ^  the  east^n  hemisphere,  and  England 


>  "^ ,  d\ 


.      BISTORY  OP  HIE  ATLAKTIO  TEIEGBAPH.       376' 

tweve  to-day  but  two  hundred  and  fifteen  „iles  of 

Tomorrow  n^ht  we  hope  to  see  it  empty-then  for  a 
™.l    supply  fro»  the  main  tank,  and  then-l^ut 
.  hopeful  though  we  are,  let  us  not  antieipate.      ■ 
,;'    .Tuesday-Breakfast  at  eight  Lunch  at  one.  Din- 
ner.at  six    Tea  at  eight    Five  hundred  and  two 
souls  who  hve  on  board  this  huge  ship  foUowing  their 
P^scnbed  oceupations.    Cable   going   out  nfemly. 
Electncal  tests  and.signals  perfeel,  and  this  is  the  his- 
y  of  what  has  taken  place  fi^m  noon  yesterfay  to 
noon  to-day.    May  we  have  three  days  more  of  Lh 
dehghtful  monotony  I  It  rained  verjrhard  dm«e  ves   " 
terday  evening,  and  as  we  app«,ach  the  bankslfcw- 
foundland  we  get  thick  and  hazy  weather  " 

The  latter  part  of  t^  voyage  did  not  fulfil  in  aU 
respects  the  promise'of  the  fi«t    The  bright  skies 

17  ^T.  ■  t''  '"''^''  P^'^"*"'^  ^°g  ''""g  over  the 
;«^ter,  wh,le  often  the  clouds  poured  down  thtir  floods. 
I  nus  the  diarj  continues :  / 

"Wednesday.-Fogandthiekrain-justtheweather 
to  expect  on  approaching  the  banks  of  Newfoundland 
The  convoy  keep  their  position,  and  though  sometime, 
wh/\  the  ships  from  our  view,  yet  we  know     ■ 

whe«  the^  .„  b^  ttefr  rip^-whistl^two  W  «Hr== 


Temble,  three  fiom  the  Medway.and  four  from  the 


•-£ 


^ftiEaWi.;.  3      "*  ■*    '  J^^S." H'- 


876 


HISTOBY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Albany,  which  are  replied  to  by  the  prolonged  single 
shriek  from  our  whistle.     At  fifty-two  minutes  past 
one,  Greenwich  tirae,  (ship's  time,  forty-five  minutes 
past  ten  p.m.,  last  night,)  the  fore  tank  being  nearly 
empty,  preparations  werermade  for  passing  the  bight' 
of  the  cable  into  the  main  tank.     At  fifteen  minutes 
past  two  all  the  jockey-wheels  of  the   paying-out 
machinery  were  up,  and  the  brakes  released   .Twenty- 
three  minutes  past  two  the  bight  was  passed  steadily 
and  cautiously  by  the  cable  hands  outside  of  the 
trough  to  the  main  tank,  and  at  thirty-five  minutes 
past  two  the  splice  wen^  over  the  stern  in  1542.8 
fathoms.     By  arrangement  with  Sir  James  Hope,  the 
admiral  of  the  North- American  station,  .who  has  re- 
ceived instructions  from  the  Admiralty  to  give  the 
present  expedition  every  assistance  in 'his  po^yer,  a 
frigate  or  sloop  will  be  placed  in  longitude  48°,  26', 
62',  which  is  just  thirty  miles  from  the  entrance  of 
Trinity  Bay,  and  sixty  from  Heart's  Content.     She 
will  probably  hang  on  by  a  kedge  in  that  position, 
which  shows  the  'fair  way'  right  up  the  bay ;  and  if 
it  be  clear,  we  ought  to  gee  her  about  daybreak  on 
Friday  morning.     The  fog  was  very  thick  this  morn- 
ing, but  occasionally  lifts ;  as  long  aa  the  wind  is  fix)m 
south-west  we  cannot  expect  clear  weather." 
•    As  the  week  drew  on,  it  was  evident  that  they  were 
Jj^rpaching  the  ead  of  &€ir  voyage  'By  Thursday  - 


— '  «■ 


i. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      877 

they  had  passed  the  great  depths  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
were  off  soundinga.  Besides  their  daily  observatiidns, 
there  were  many  signs,  well  known  to  mariners,  that 
they  were  near  the  coast     There  were  the  sea-birds,, 
and  the/  could  almost  snuff  the  smell  of  the  land, 
such  as  once  greeted  the  sharp  .senses  of  Columbus'" 
and  made  him  sure  that  he  was  floating  to  some  un- 
discovered shore.     Captain  Anderson  had  timed  his 
departure  so  that  he  should  approach  the  American 
coast.at  the  full  moon";  but  for  the  last  two  or  three 
.  nights,  as  the  round  orb  rosO  behind  them,  banks  of 
cloud  hung  so  heavily  upon,th^  water,  that  the  moon- 
light only  faintly  gleamed  through  the  vaporous  air, 
and  the  fleet  seemed  like  the  phanto^  ships  of  the 
Ancient  Mariner,  drifting  on  through  fog  and  mist.         ^ 

"  Thursday.— ^y^^y  yesterday  it  was  as  '  thick  as 
mustard.'    We  hf  Jhiad  now  forty-eight  hours  of  fog. 
Though  it  lifted  a  little  this  morning,  at  five  A.M. 
It  still  looks  like  more  of  it     Captain  Anderson  sig- 
nalled to  the  Albany,  at  fifteen  -  minutes  past  ten  last 
night,  to  start  at  daybreak,  and  proceed  to  discover 
the. station  ship,  and  report  us 'at  hand.     Should  she    > 
fail  to  find  her,  then  to  try  and  make  the  land  and  ' 
guide  us  up  Ti^nity  ^ay.     Another  signal  was  sent 
at  half-past  twelve  to  the  effect  that  the  Terrible  and 
Medw^  would  be  senL^e^  to  xneet  the  Albany 


and  S*,blish  a  line  to  1^  ^  ;„  „^„  ^j^^  J^_ 


i». 


'^.iSif.iiii.'afV  ^  ''ft>  '  k^-  '  «-^^'^ 


/ 


'^f-' '. 


^^ 


878 


HISTORT  OF  THE  ATLANTIO  TELEORAPH. 


The  Albanj  started  at  half-past  three.     At  hrty-^fe 
minutes  past  four,  Greenwich  time,- the  cable,  engineer 
in  charge  took  one  w«ight  oflf  each^l^rake  of  the  pay- 
ing-out machinery.     At  forty  minutes  past  seven  all 
weights  taken  off,  the  assumed  depth  bemg  three  hun- 
dred fathoms.   The4ndioated  strain  on  the  dynamome- 
ter  gradually  decreas'ing.  Speed  of  ship  five  knots.  We 
'    are  going  to  try  and  pick  up  the  cable  of  1865  in  two 
thousand  five  hundred  fathor^,  (and  wo  mean  to  suc- 
ceed too ;)  therefore  should  the  cable  we  are  now  pay- 
ing out  part,  it  can  be  understood  how  easy  it  would 
be  to  raise  it  from  a  depth  of  three  hundred  fathoms. 
At  fifty-five  minutes  past"  eight  we  signalled  to  the 
Terrible  to  sound,  and  received  a  reply,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  fathoms.     At  half-past  eleven  we  informed 
her  that  when  at  the  buoy  off  Ileart's  Contont»she 
sKould  have  her  paddle-box  boat  and  two  cutters  ready 
to  be  alongside  imi^iediately,  for  holding  the  bight  of 
tjbe  cable  during  the  splice  •  and  laying  the  shore  end: 
The  Medway  was  told  at  tlfe  same  time  to  prepare 
two  five-inch  ropes,  and  two  large  mushroom  anchors, 
with  fifty  fathoms  of  chain,  for  anchoring  during  the 
s|)lice  in  one  hundred  and  seventy  fathbms  of  water, 
and  we  intimated  to  her  that  when  inside  of  Trinity 
Ba^  we  should  signal  for  two  boats  to  take  hand^  on 
board  her  for  shore  end.     News  of  to-day,  telegram 
from  Mk  Qia^  in  rep^  to  one  fcomrMf.  CahningT^ 


:t\:  ■,;      .  .   \ 


"-      HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       879 

■  'I  congratulate  yc^l  „,ost  sincerely  o.  your  ann^a] 
,  ^e  hundred  ar.1  thirty  fathoms.     I  hop;  nothing 

that  the  cable  will  be  landed  to-morrow.'  " 

J^«t^e  voyage  is  about  to  end,  we  may  here  give  the 

■  ^;'^"^f  ^^  f^-^"^  ^-J  to  day,  which  show  a  remarka- 
ble uniformity  of  progress :     ^ 

',■•■'  -  9 

a   -       ,        „                   «                   Distance  Run.    Cable  Paid  Oa»,     , 
Saturday,  fourteenth,?. iqq  jj-   '.    >-, 

Sunday,  fifteenth, ....'..   U8  139 

Monday,  sucteenth, ^....;.  ^g  j^^ 

Tuesday,  seventeenth, j jy  j- 

Wednesday,  eighteerfth, .,..:...    1  ,,4  125  '  \ 

^  ThQrsday,  nineteenth, 'ug''  129 

Fjiday^  twentieth, ....'. ^r      '  127         '"^ 

Saturday,  twenty-fir§t,. 121        "        jgg, 

Sunday,  twenty-second,.. J ; 123-  jgg 

Monday,  twenty-third, .121  jgg 

Tuesday,  twenty-fourth, ^.   12(3  jgg     ' 

Wednesday,  twenty-fifth........    119  jg^    •      • 

Thursday,  twenty-^xth, .' .  12»  jg^       , 

Friday,  twenty-seventh,. 100    *  104  *" 

.      This  table  shows  the  speed  of  the  ship  to  have  been 
exactly  according^to  the  "running  time"  fixed  bfefcH^     ' 

t\2  ^."^^'''^'  ^  ^^  '^'  ^^*  ^^^g«  it  ^«  thought 
^that,she  had  once  or  twice  run  too  fast,  and  thus  ex- 
posed •&«  cable  to  danger,    kwas,  themfo.e,deeide*= 
to  go  slowly  but  surely.    Holding  her  back  to  thi« 

19      •  ... 

■        ■    '    ■    ■  '  V.:.  '       M     , 


^ 


# 


880        HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

moderate  pace,  her  average  speed,  from  the  time  the 
splice  was  made  till  "they  saw  land,  was  a  little  less 
than  five  nautical  miles  an  hour,  while  the  cal^le  was 
paid  out  at  an  average  of  not  quite  five  and  "a  half 
miles.  Thus  the  total  slack  was  about  eleven  per 
cent,  showing  that  the  cable  was  laid  almost  in.  a 
straight  line,  allowing  for  the  swells  andihollows  in 
the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

"Friday,  July  27th.— Shortly  after  two  P.M.,  yester- 
day, two  ships,  which  were  soon  made  out  to  be 
steamers,  were  seen  to  the  westward ;  and  the  Terrible, 
steaming  on  ahead,  m  about  an  hour  sign|tlled  to  us 
that  H.M.S.  Niger  ^as  one  of  them,  accompanied  by 
the  Albany.     The  Niger,  Captain  Bruce^  j^nt  a  boat 
.   to  the  Terrible  as  soon  as  he  came  up  with  her.      The 
Albany  shortly  afterward  took  up  her  position  on  our 
starboard  quarter,  and  signalled  that  she  .spoke  the 
Niger  at  noon,  bearing  E.  by  N.,  and  that  the  Lily 
was  anchored  at  the  station  in  the  entrance  of  Trinity 
Bay,  as  arranged  with  the  Admiral.     The  Albany 
also  reported  that  she  had  passed  an  iceberg  about 
si^ty  feet  high.     At  twenty  minutes  after  four  p.m., 
the  Niger  came  on  our  port  side,  quite  close,  and  Cap- 
tain Bruce,  sending  the  crew  to  the  rigging  4ind  man- 
ning the  yards,  gave  us  three  cheers,  -v^hich  were  hear- 
tily returned  \>j  the.  Great  Eastern.    She  then  steamed 
n^SKiSaa  IbwSrd  TriSityBayr  The  Albany  was  signalled  ' 


.)  ( 


•  =^«^  °F  ME  ATLANTIC  TELEQBAPJ.       88l' 

'togo  on  immediately  to  Heart's  Content,  ole^he  north- 

It        f  ."°  ^""'""'  ^W'-^K'  »''  P'^««  -  boat 
with  a  red  flag  for  Captain  Andemn  to  stee'r  to,  for 

anehorage.    Just  before  dinner  we  saw  on  the  srfiith. 

em  homo,,,  distant  a^  ten  miles,  an  ieeberg,  prob- 
ablj  the  onewhieh  the  Albany  met  with.  It  was  an- 
parently  about  Bfty  or  ^izty  feet  in  height.  The  fo^ 
came  on  very  thiek  about  eight  p.m.,  and  between 
that  and  ten  we  were  eon^tantly  exehanging  gun.  and 
bummg  blue  hghts  with  the  Terrible,  which,  with  the   ' 

^at  she  bore  then  about  E.N.E.  distant  four  miles.    ■ 
Later  m  tie  night  Captain  Commerell  said  that  if 
Captem  Anderson  would  stop  the  Great  Eastern,  he 
would  send  the  surveyor  Mr.  Bobi^son,  K  N.,  ;ho 

-eoutintheNiger,onboa,.ofu;and:bou: 

shZlv  P.  ^^7  """^  -'""'^  ■"">  *•■«  Terrible 
AoHly  afterward,  came  alongside  with  that  officer. 
Catahna  hght,  at  the  entmnce  of  Trinity  Bay,  had 

of  the  coast  had  alA  been  seen.  Fog  still  prevailing  I 
Accorf^ng  to  Mr.  Robinson's  account,  if  they  got  one 

^      'r  r"  "*  *^  ^''*'»-°f  T.-"7  Bay    ' 
aejr  ^ns.dei.d  themaelves  fort«n«t^     Hero  wo  j^ 


i«/ 


^1»^-' 


Ti#iw>  y^'  — — -  ..        ':"""*««tci,     jxere  WO  ape 

now,  ^  A.M.,)  within  ten  mUes  of  Heart's  Content, 


1^^'lt-'      <^bw4.  U 


mm 


SdSi«K&J::V3»&te  « 


382       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLAITTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

/   -  . 

and  we  can  scarcely  see  more  than  a  ship's  length. 
The  Niger,  however,  is  ahead,  and  her  repeated  guns  i 
tell  us  where  we  are  with  accuracy.  Good  fortune  fol-'^ 
lows  us,  and  scarcely  has  eight  o'clock  arrived  when 
the  massive  curtain  of  fog  raises  itself  gradually  from 
both  shores  of  Trinity  Bay,  disclosing  to  us  the  en- 
trance of  Heart's  Content,  the  Albany  making  for  the 
harbor,  the  Margaretta  Stevenson,  surveying  vessel, 
steaming  otit  to  meet  us,  the  prearranged  pathway  all 
marked  with  buoys  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Kerr,  RN.,  and  a 
whole  fleet  of  fishing  boats  fishing  at  the -entrance. 

We  could  now  plainly  see  that  Heart's  Content,  so 
far  as  its  capabilities  permitted,  was  prepared  to  wel- 
come us.  The  British  and  American  flags  floated 
from  the  church  and  telegraph  station  and  other 
buildinga  We  had  dressed  ship,  fired  a  salute,  and 
given  three  cheers,  and  Captain  Commerell  of  H.M.S. 
Terrible  was  soon  on  board  to  congratulate  us  on 
our  success.  At  nine  o'clock,  ship's  time,  just  as  we 
had  cut  the  cable  and  made  arrangements  for  the 
Medway  to  lay  the  shore-end,  a  message  arrived  giv- 
ing us  the  concluding  words  of  a  leader  in  this  morn- 
ing's Times :  "  It  is  a  great  work,  a  glory  to  our  age 
and  nation,  and  the  men  who  have  achieved  it  de- 
serve to  be  honored  among  the  benefactors  of  their 
race." — "Treaty  of  peace  signed  between  Prussia  and 
Austria  ["  „  It  was  now  tim&^Ja^  the  chiefs  engineery 


HISTOEY   OF   THE    ATLANTIC   TELEGEAPH.     383 

-  Mr.  Canning,  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  fop 
spUcmg  on  board  the  Medway.  Accompanied  by  Mr 
Oooch,  M.P  Mr.  Clifford,  Mr.  Wmoughby  Smith! and 
Messrs.  Temple  and  Deane,  he  went  on  board,  the  Terri- 
Me  and  Niger  having  sent  their  paddle-box  boats  and 
cutters  to  assist  Shortly  afterward  the  Great  Eastern 
Steamed  into  the  harbor  and  anchoredon  the  north-east 
Bide,  and  Was  quickly  surrounded  by  boats  laden  with 

the  Great  Eastern  had  left  the  offing,  with  a  view  of 
telegraphing  to  StJohn's  to  hire  a  vessel  to  repair  the 
cable  unhappily  broken  between  Cape  Ray,  in  New- 
foundland, and  Cape  North,  in  Breton  Island.  Before  a 
couple  of  hours  the  shore  end  will  be  landed,  and  it 
.«  impossible  to  conceive  a  finer  day  for  effecting  this 
our  final  operation.    Even  here,  people  can  scarcely 
mlu«>  the  feet  that  the  Atlantic  Telegniph  Cable  hi 
been  laid.    To-morrow,  however.  Heart's  Content  wiU 
J^aken  te  the  feet  that  it  is  a  highly  favored  place  in 
tto  worlds  esteem,  the  western  landing-plaee  of  that 
"larvel  of  electric  communication  with  the  Eastern  ' 
h^jsphere    which  is  now  happily,  and  we    h^^^ 
finally,  established."  ^    ^ 

of  the  Expedition,  tells  the  stoiy  ,f  this  memo^bk     , 
^rn^^^^-a^eny   B,,_ 


=^**^''^^'«#|»fWlSnsSro„,;ei;^toir 


v 


...  r./^.v^-r'^-^^^yi^'^^-'TW^.^^^^^^ 


I 

384     HISTORY    OF    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEGRAPH. 


shore,  ■we  may  get  a  new  impression  of  this  closing 
scene.  We  can  well  believe  the  sensation  of  wonder 
and  almost  of  awe,  on  the  morning  when  the  ships 
entered  that  little  harbor  of  Newfoundland.  In  Eng- 
land the  progress  of  the  expedition  was  known  from 
day  to  day,  but  on  this  side  of  the  ocean  all  was  un- 
certainty. Some  had  gone  to  Heart's  Content,  hoping 
to  witness  the  arri'v^al  of  the  fleet,  but  not  so  many  as 
the  year  before,  for  the  memory  of  the  last  failure  was 
too  fresh,  and  they  ffeared  another  disappointment 
But  still  a  faithful  few  were  there,  who  kept,  their 
daily  watch.  The  correspondents  of  the  American 
papers  report  only  a  long  and  anxious  suspense,  till 
that  morning  when  the  first  ship  was  seen  in  tlue  off- 
ing. As  they  look  toward  her,  she  comes  nearer — 
and  see,  there  is  another  and  another.  And  now  the 
hull  of  the  Great  Eastern  looms  up  all-glorious  in  that 
morning  sky.  Thfey  are  coming !  Instantly  all  is 
wild  excitement  on  shore.  Boats  j»ut  off  to  row  to- 
ward the  fleet  The  Albany  is  the  first  to  round  the 
point  and  enter  the  Bay.  The  Terrible  is  close  be- 
hind. The  Medway  stops  an  hour  or  two  to  join  on 
the  heavy  shore  end,  while  the  Great  Eastern,  gliding 
calmly  in  as  if  she  had  doee  nothing  rei^arkable, 
drops  her  anchor  in  front  of  the  telegraph  house,  hav- 
ing trailed  behind  her  a  chain  of  two  thousand  miles, 
^4Mad&eOId.'World4o^theNew. — _— .^^^ 


•:>^ 


A.PH. 

is  closing 
)f  wonder 
the  ships 
In  Eng- 
own  from 
11  was  un- 
it, hoping 
D  many  as 
lilure  was 
lointment 
:ept.  their 
American 
pense,  till 
in  thje  off- 
nearer — 
i  now  the 
us  in  that 
tly  all  is 
to  row  to- 
round  the 
close  be- 
to  join  on 
Ti,  gliding 
iparkable, 
ouse,  hav- 
ind  miles, 


HISTORY    OF    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEGRAPH.  ^  886 

That  same  afternoon,   as  soon   as  the  shore  end 
was  landed,  Captain  Anderson  and  tlie  officers  of  the 
-     fleet  w^nt  in  a  body  to  the  little  church  in  Heart's 
C6ntcnt,  to  render  thanks  for  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition.    A  sermon  was  preached  on  the  text,  -  There 
shall  be  no  more  sea,"  and  all  joined  in  the  sublime 
prayei-s  and  thanksgivings  of  the  Church  of  England 
Thus  the  voyage  ended  as  it  began.    It  left  the  shores 
.  of  Ireland  with  prayers  wafted  after  it  as  a  benedic- 
^on.     And  now,  safely  landed  on  th.  shores  of  the 
New  World,  this  gallant  company,  like  Columbus  and 
his  companions,  make  it  their  fi^st  thought  to  render 
liomage  to  that  Being  who  had  borne  them  safely 
across  the  deep. 

Although  the  expedition  reached  Newfoundland  on  '• 
■   :      I\l^"  t^-enty-seventh,  yet,  as  the  cable  across 
the  Gulf  of  St  Lawrence  was  broken,  the  news  was 
not  received  in  New- York  till  the  twenty-ninth     It 
was  early  Sunday  morning  before  the  Sabbath  bdls 
had  rung  their  call  to  prayer,  that  the  tidings  came. 
Ihe  first  announcement  was  brief:  "  Heart's  Content 
July  27.-We  arrived  here  at  nine  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing.    All  well.    Thank  God,  the  cab|e'^is  laid,  and  is 
m  perfect  working  order.  Cyru^  W.  Field.  " 

Soon  followed  the  despatch  to  the  Associated  Press 
givmg  the  details  of  the  voyage,  ^nd  ^nding  with  a 
-i^tnbu^WlRrslBrand  devotion  of  all  who  Lad^ 


.«,,... \?tf.fc..,>';.s.«;..-.,     .nfi,^^^^^l^siA,wii^VA. 


-t-?* 


:'*//" 


386     HISTORY    OP    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEGRAPH. 

contributed  to  its  success.  Said  Mr.  Field :  "  I  can- 
not find  words  suitable  to  convey  my  a:dmiratiq^-ibr 
the  men  who  have  so  ably  conducted  the  nauttcaL^ 
engineering,  and  electrical  departments  of  this  enter- 
prise, amidst  difficulties  which  must  be  seen  to  be  ap- 
preciat(id.  In  fact, .  all  on  board  of  the  telegraph  fleet, 
-  and  all  connected  with  the  enterprise,  have  done  their 
best  to  have  the  cable  made  and  laid  in  a  perfect  con- 
dition ;  and  He  who  rules  the  winds  and  the  waves 
has  crowned  their  united  efforts  with  perfect  suc- 
cess." 

Other  despatches  followed  in  quick  succession,  giv- 
ing the  latest  events  of  the  war*  in  Europe,  which 
startled  the  public  just  reading  news  a  fortnight  old. 
All  this  confirmed  the  great  triumph,  and  filled  the 
hearts  of  many  with  wonder  and  gratitude  that  Sab- 
bath day,  as  they  went  up  to  the  house  of  God  and 
rendered  thanks  to  Him  who  is  Lord  of  the  earth 
and  sea. 


i'JV 


HISTORY    OF    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEORAPH.      387, 


CHAPTER  XVII.     ' 

The  Ships   Return  to  Mid-Ockan  to  Search   ron  rfife  C..r. 
mTKD  Attempts  AND  Failprks.      Grapvel  c...-t 

wh.r»    >  •  Content,  is  a  sheltered  noot 

where  sh,ps  »ay  ride  at  anehor,  safe  from  the  stonns 

o  tt:  rL  "^  ':'  ""  '"'''  ""^  *■-'  ^»'  o™ 
seventy  npUes  long,  and  twenty  nJiles  broad  On  the 
beach  .s-a  s„.u  village  of  som^si^ty  houses,  rn^t  o 

C  f  ?  '"^  '^'^  '^"'^  ^^'"^-    The  plaee   ' 

was  neyer  heardof  outsideof  Newfoundknd  tiU  1864 
when  Mr.  Md,  saiUng.np  Trinity  Bay  i„  the  aurly! 
.  rngstean^er  Margar«tta  Stevenson,  Captain  OrX  ' 

cabM-ed  upon  this  secluded  spot.    The  old  landing 

^rBay^t,„a,,,tove.    Heart's  Content  was 
jaaauiowteeaiMe  Xswateraare  sBlTiBJdeeft  so  that""^ 


\[ 


JT 


i-r     i.»i^i.W^t 


Y  . 


388        HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


^ 


a  cable  skirting  the  north  side  of  the  banks  of  New- 
foundland can  be  brought  in  deep  water,  almost  till  it 
touches  the  shore.  All  around  the  l^nd  rises  to  pine- 
crested  heights  ;  and  here  the  telegraphic  fleet,  after 
its  memorable  voyage,  lay  in  quiet,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  encircling  hills. 

But  though  their  voyage  was  ended,  they  were  not 
idle.  Those  few  days  in  port  were  quite  »a  busy  as 
the  days  at  sea.  Having  crossed  the  Atlantic,  the 
first  thing  was  to  open  communication  with  the  great 
States  and  cities  of  the  Union,^  And  now  Mr.  Field 
was  extremely  mortified  to~  find  that  there  was  a 
large  gap  in  the  line  this  side  of '  the  ocean.  His 
first  question  to  the  Superintendent,  who  came  out 
in  a  boat  to  meet  him,  was  in  regard  to  the  cable 
across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  which  had  been  in- 
terrupted the  year  before;  and  it  was  a  bitter  pang 
to  hear  that  it  lay  still  broken,  ^o  that  a  message  which 
came  from  Ireland  in  a  moment  of  time,  was  delayed 
twenty-four  hours  in  its  way  to  New-York.  Of 
course  the  public  grew  impatient  and  there  were 
many  sneers  at  the  want  of  foresight  which  had  failed 
to  provide  against  such  a  contingency ;  and,  as  he  was 
the  one  chiefly  known  in  connection  with  the  enter- 
prise, these  reproaches  fell  upon  him.  He  did  not 
tell  the  public,  what  was  the  truth,  that  he  had  antici- 
.^ateitbis^ery  trouble  long  ago,  and  entreated  hisL 


/ 


ik^ 


'4' 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       889 

associates    to  be    prepared    for    it.      Months  before 
he  left  ,%  England,  he  urged  upon  the  Company 
,in  New- York  the  necQfesity  of  rebuHding  their  lines 
in    Newfoundland,  which    had    been   standing  over 
ten  years,  and  of  repairing  the  old  cable,  and  also 
laying  a  new  one  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
But  this  would  cost  a  very  large  sum  of  money,  and 
as  their  faith  and  purses  had  been  sorely  tried  by 
repeated  disasters,  they  were  not  willing  to  spend 
so  heavily  in  the  uncertainty  of  the  future.    They 
wished,  very  naturally,  to  see  the  result  of  this  new 
■  expedition,  before  advancing  iurther  capital.    We  do 
not  blame  them,  but  only  mention  the  fact  to  show 
that  Mr.  Field  had  foreseen  this  very  thing,  and  en- 
deavored to  guard  against  it 

But  regrets  were  idle.    What  could  he  do  to  repair- 
the  injury?     "Ig  there  a  steamer,"  he  asked,  «to  be 
had  in  ^  these  waters  ?"     "  The  Bloodhound  is  at  St. 
JohnV"     "Telegraph  instkntly  to  charter  her  to  go 
around  to  the  Gulf  of  St  Lawrence,  and  fish  up  the 
old  cable  and  repair  it    But  that  may  take  several 
weeks.    Is  there  nothing  else  that  can  serve  in  the 
mean  time  to  carry  dispatches  across  the  Gulf  ?"  "  There 
is  a  little  steamer,  called  the  Dauniaess."    "  Well,  tele- 
graph for  her  too.    Secure  her  at  all  hazards;' only 
see  that  the  work  is  done."    .All  this  was  the  work  of 


-«^winiimt^    The  aM^lcamebadfc  qui^ 

■     I  •  • 


390     HISTORY    OF    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEGRAPH. 

in  a  day  on  two  came  tlic  steamer^  themselves;     The 
arrangement  was  immediately  carried  out.    The  Daunt- 
less took  her  place  in  the  Gulf,  where  she  made  her 
regular  trips  from  Port  au  Basque,  in  Newfoundland,  to  • 
Aspee  Bay,  in  Capo  Breton,  keeping  up  daily  commu- 
nication with  the  States.     The  Bloodhound,  which  had 
a  moro  difficult  task,  first  took  on  board  eleven  rail^ 
of  cable  from  the  Greai  Eastern,  to  repair  that  which 
was  broken.    The  expcd^ion  was  put  in  charge  of  Mr. 
A.  M.  Mackay,  the  indefatigable  Superintendent  of  the 
Company  in  Newfoundland^  who  has  had  the  care  of 
their  lines  for  ten  years,  and  lias  given  constant  proof 
of  his  diligence  and  fid^ity.    He  sailed  for  Aspee  Bay, 
and  made  short  work  of  iihe  business.     In  a  few  days 
he  h'ad  dragged  the  Gulf  §nd  raised  the  cable,  which 
he  found  had  been  broken  by  an  anchor,  in  water  sev- 
enty fathoms  deep,  a  few  miles  from  shore.    This  was 
spliced  out  with  a  portion  of  the  new  cable,  and  the 
whole  was  as  perfect  a^  ever,  thus  giving  a  fresh  proof 
that  cables  well  made  are  likely  to  be  permanent,  if 
not  indestructible. 

As  soon  as  communieation  was  opened  with  New- 
York,  and  other  cities,  congratulations  poured  in  Irom 
every  quarter.  Friendly  messages  were  exchanged — 
as  eight  years  before-Jpetween  the  sovereign  of  En^ 
land  and  the  head  of  the  Great  Eepublic.  The  Pres- 
Jident  also,  and  Mr.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  sent 


•  j- JW/""^ -fl  -  I-.-3V1 '  T 


W.^^ 


V^ 


nisTORroF  THE  Atlantic  TELEGRAPur  391       . 

^  their  congratulations  to  Mr.' Field -greetings  that  ^ -^ 

were  repeated  from  the  most  distant  States.    Among 
,  others  was  a  message  from  San  Francipco,  which  was 
put  mto  his  hand  almost  at  the  same  moment  with 
one  from  M.   de  Lesseps,   dated^at  Alext^ria  in    * 
Egypt  I    What  a  peeling  and  mingling  of  voices 
^  was  this,  when  a  winged  salutation  flying  over  the  ■ 
^  tops  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  reached  the  same  ear '' 
with  a  message  which  had  beeffwhispered  along  the         ' 
Mediterranean  .and  under  the  Atlantic^.    Well  might 
It  seem  as  if  the  ends  of  the  earth  were  coming  to-  "- 
getherj  When  the  farthest  East  thus  touched  the  far- 
thest  West-the  most  ancient  of  kingdoms  answering 
to  the  new-born  empire  of  the  Pacific. 

While  the  Great  Eastern  was  lying  in  the  harbor  of 

;  Heart's  ConteSt,  she  was  overrun  with  visitors.     The 
news  of  her  arrival  had  spread  over  the  island,  and 
from  far  and  near  the  people  flocked  to  see  her.    Over 
the  hills  they  came  on  foot  ^nd  on  horseback,  and  in        \ 
wagons  and  carts  of  ev€ry  description ;  afid  from  along  ^" 

'  the  shore  in  boats  and  fishing-smacks,  and  sloops  and 
schooners.     Thus  they  came  from  the  most'  remote 

^parts  of  the  island— a  distance  of  300  miles— and  ■ 
even  from  the  prdvince  of  New-Brunswick.     Several 
parties  made  the    excursion  in   steamers   from    St. 

John's.     Thus  for  two  weeks  the  little  harbor  was 


=^live  witb  themsy  and  Strnfige  craft  that  brought  th7 


.B^^W■^  * 


/^  ,at^  i^^K^^  ~^d&J-\liii 


7^- 


r  y 


^f 


-^i 


392        IlISTOUY   OF  TlIK   ATLANTIC  TELEOR-Vrif. 

people  to  SCO  that  great  sight.  They  climbed  up.  the 
sides  of  the  ship,  and  wandered  for  Lours  thrpugh 
its  spacious  rooms,  and  Ipng  passages'.  All  were  'Wiel; 
comed  with  true  and  hearty  sailor  courtesy.    ' 

But  the  Great  Eastern  was  not  hc^re  on  a  voyage  of 
pleasure,  nor  did  all  these  receptions  delay  for  an  hour 
"the  preparations  for  her  departure.  She  had  another 
work  on  hand  greater  than  before.  Though  she  had 
done  enough  to  be  "laid  up "  for  a  year,  still  she  had 
one  more  test  of  her  prowess — to  recover  the  cable  of 
1865,  which  had  b^  lost  in  the  iniddle  of  the  Atlan- 
tic.. So  eager  wjK'fe  all  for  this  second  trial  of  th^r 
strength,  that  in  less  than  five  days  two  of  the  ships 
— the  Albany  and  the  Terrible — the  vanguard  of  the 
telegraphic  fleet,  were  on  their  way  back  to  mid-ocean. 
Though  it  was  only  Friday,  the  27th  of  July,  that  they 
reached  land,  they  left  ejirly  Wednesday  nivriiing,  the 
first  day  of  August.  The  Great  Eastern  was  detained 
a  week  longer.  She  had  to  lay  in  iM|g|fepJiipplie3 
of  coal.  Anticipalmig  this  want,  sy|§raH^H^  been: 
dispatched  from  .Cardifi^,  in  WalesP'WHIsDMbre,  to 
await  the  arrival  of  tte  fleet.  One  of  these  foundered 
at  sea ;  the  others  arrived  out  safely,  and  hardly  had  the  ■ 
Eastern  cast  anchor  before  they  were  alongside, 
to  fiU^Tier  bunkers.  So  ample  was  the  provision, 
whei;|j|^.'weilt  to  sea  a  few  days  after,  she  had 
%early  eight  thousand  tons  of  coal  on  board. 


i-C 


y 


UISTOHT  or  TUB  ATLANTIC  TELEOKAP.  3^8 

=    ,,  t  "'°  ''T  ''""  f "  •'■■'*  to  roceivo  some  six  hui. . 
ted  m,,,.  or  tUo  cble  of  18C5,  which  had  been  shit 
Pd«>„  England   in  Iho  Medwa,.     The  iatte.  JL 
-wbrougUulo-„gside,a„d  the  whole  was  tranafe™^' 

waa  to  be  pa,d  out  .n  case  the  lost  'end  were  recovered    ^ 
At  length  ^  these  preparations  were  completed,  and 

i  llTr  '°  ""    '"'^  •'°™'-'"  °f  Newfound- 
land who  had  eomo  around  from  St.  John's  and  been 

them  m  the  Ldy  down  the  broad  expanse  of  iinity 
gIe    ,         "r-"^  fo^  St.  John's,  while  the 

Jom^the,r  eompan.ons  in  the  middle  of  the  Atkntie. 
They  had  a  httle  over  six  hundr«l  miles  to  run  to  the 
^febngground,"  and  made  it  in  three  days.     On     . 

»  T!r  t        ""  '"*  ^'"^^  -^^  °«'  the  Albany 

and  placed  buoy,  to  mark  the  line  of  th.  cble 
and  hen,  hfce  giant  sea-birds  with  folded  whjl; 
wa^hmg  their  prey.    The  sea  was  running  h^  " 

^  t't "r""' ""' "■"«  "-^ ''«' '•'^^'bany  W 


^-*<^**^wi|TSf^Sff 


,♦ 


•  i^i  i.,vS!l:,\ 


V 


,■&.•;::: 


\ 


,r  •,    I  F-    f^«_^-^-e.  a 


894       HISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

When  the  Albany  left  Heart's  Content,  Captain  Mo- 
riarty  went  in  her.  He  had  been  in  the  Great  Eastern 
the  ^ear  before,  and  saw  where  the  cable  went  ^wn* 
and  had  had  his  eye  on  the  spot  ever  since.  He  claimed, 
with  Captain  Anderson,  that  he  could  go  straight  to  it 
and  place  the  ship  within  half  a  mile  of  where  it  disap- 
peared. 4-t  this  old  sailors  shbok  their  heads;  and  said, 
"  They'd  like  to  see  him  do  it ;"  "  No  man  could  come 
within  two  or  three  miles  of  any  given  place  in  the 
ocean."  Yet  the  result ,  proved  the  exactness  of  his 
observations.  With  unerring  eye  he  went  straight  to 
tBe  spot,  and  set  his  buoys  as  exactly  as  a  fisherman 
sets  his  nets.        . 

In  the  Albany,  also,  had  gone  Mr.  Temple,  of  Mr. 
Canning's  staff.  The  ship  had  been  fitted  up  with  a 
complete  set  of  buoys  and  apparatus  for  grappling; 
and  he  was  full  of  ambition  to  recover  the  cable  before 
the  Great  Eastern  should  come  up:  In  this  he  had 
nearly  toroved  successful.  They  had  caught  it  once, 
and  raided  it  a  few  hundred  -fathoms  from  the 
bottom,  and  buoyed  it,  but  rough  weather  came  on 
and  tore  away  the  buoy,  so  that  the  cable  went  down 
.  again,  carrying  two  miles  of  rope.     •  .    , 

This  was  a  disappointment,  but  still,  as  their  first 
attempt  was  only.  "^  feeler,"  the  result  was  encour- 
aging. It  showed  that  they  had  found  the  right  place; 
that  iJie  cable  was  therey^latithaii  not  riraa;way^^ 


',i'» 


••I 


^<NS^>.«U»\VMaf  4l  I'.r^h^ir 


V<^^e  -.^. 


lAiJvi^.'' 


'  'Si 


il44iA> 


r;^: 


H.STOBV  OF  ME  ATLANTIC  ™,E<,^„       3jg 

been  floated  off  by  those  under.=„™„,3  that  exist  ia 
he  .„,ag,„at.o„  of  some  wise  men  of  the  sea;  n^^hl" 
,  rt  was  so  .mbedded  in  the  ooze  of  the  deep  a  ^Vt 
yond  reaeh  or  recovery.  All  this  was  Ik^^^, 
r  P—  .»  be  a  more  difficult  job  than  tTey  had 
supposed  they  were  glad  when  the  Great  E^^n 
hove  in  aght  that  Sunday  noon 

'   Dlf™  '"^'  7™°*'  ^'P**'"  *'°"'"'y  ""d  Mr.  Tern- 
pie  eame  on  board,  and  after  reporting  their  expert 
IP^ftechief  officers  of  the  ExpLtio'held  a ItS 

!L  1,  ^"""^  oP^^'-'a  «>«  ««»P»ign.  The  fleet  was 
now  al  together,  the  weather  was  favorable,  and  it  was 
detmnmed  at  once  to  proceed  to  business 

soak  tl  2r"  "  ''°"  *"  "^  """'"^  -  »  g™-^ 
^le   the  «ader  may  wish  some  further  detai  of 

in  tM       /r^"^"'*  *"  ""^"^  ^'^^    ^  nothing    - 

ment,  nothmg  ments  a  more  carefm  history.    When 

It  was  first  proposed  f„  dmg  the  bottom  ofThe  lo^. 

-  for  a  cable  lost  in  waters  two  and  a  half  miles  dt^ 

*e  project  was  so  daring  that  it  seemed  almost  2: 

was  any  thing  undertake  less  in  the  spirit  of  reckless   ' 
desperation.     The  cable  was  recovcA  as  a  dtv  " 
taken  by  siege-by  slow  approaches,  and  t^e  I^IZ 
^M^»lt  Of  mathemati..!  c^oulation.TS— 


^^  ^^  ^'^^^^^  Wox^handlthe  portion  72 


■     >,.■■':_■     / 


if' 


4 


'  }^ 


Y». 


896       HISTORY  OF  THK  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  ^ 

brokten  end,  Ae  depth  of  the  ocean,  the  length  of 
rope  needed  to  reach  the  bottom,  and  the  strength 
required  to  lift  the  enormous  weight.    To  find  the 
place  was  a  simple  questibn  of  nautical  astronomy— 
a  calculation  of  latitude  and  longitude.     It  seemed 
providential  that,  when  the  cable  broke  on  the  second 
of  August,  1865,  it  was  a  few  minutes  after  noon;.  - 
the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and  they  had  just  taken  > 
a  perfect  observation.    Thjj^  made  it  much  easier  to 
go  back  to  the  place  again.    The  waters  were  very 
deep,  but  that  they  could  touch  bottom,  and  even 
grapple  the  cable,  was  proved  by  the  experiments  of 
the  year  before.    But  could  any  power  be  applied 
which  should  lift  it  without  breaking,  and  bring  it 
safely  on  board?    This  was  a  simple  question  of 
mechanics.    Prof.  Thomson  had  made  a  calculation 
that  in  raising  the  cable  from  a  depth  of  two  and  a 
half  miles,  there  would  be  about  ten  miles  of  its 
length  suspended  in  the  water.    Of  course,  it  was  a 
very  nice  matter  to  graduate  the  strain  so  as  not  to 
break  the  cable,    ^or  this  it  had  been  suggested  that 
two  or  three  ships  Should  grapple  it  at  once,  and 
lifting  it  together  e^  the  strain  on  any  one  point — 
a  method  that  we  shall  see  was  finally  adopted  with 
success. 

With  such  preparations,  let  us  see  how  all  this  sci- 
eaee  "ttn^  ^eamaBBbifi  ^m<i  engineering  are  applied*^ 


--  ff  "'•  ' 


'%       t.^itStSi'ii'^  i; 


I.i' 


.-.j'fr'-' 


HISTOKT  OP  THE  ATLAOTIO  lELEGRAPa      397 

The  ships  are  now  aU  together  ia  the  middle  of  the 
Atlanfc     The  &r.t  p6iot  is  achieved-thefchave 
-found  the  place  where  the  broken  cable  Hesl!.they 
have  ia.d  their  hands  on  the  bottom,  of  the  ocean  and 
tew  of  .t,    and  know  that  it  is  there.     The  next 
thing  ,s  to  .draw  a  line  over  it,  to  mark  its  cou:«.,  for 
m  fogs  and  dark  nighta  it  cannot  be  traced  by  obser- 
vations.   The  watery  line  is  therefore  marked  by  a 
series  of  buoys  a  few  miles  apart,  which  are  held  in 
P<^.t.on  by  heavy  mushroom-anchoi^  let  down  to  the 
bottom  by  a  huge  buoy-i^pe,  which  is  fastened  at 
the  top  by  a  heavy  chain.    Each  buoy  is  numbered, 

M  over","".'"". "  """' *^ "^"'  " «^^'  --i  »  bhck 
ball  over  ,t,  which  can  be  seen  at  a  distance.    Thus 

the  ships,  ranging  around  in  a  circuit  of  many  miles. 

can  keep  m  sight  this  chain  of  sentinels.    The  buoy' 

w^ich  marks  the  spot  where  they  wish  to  grapple  h,^ 

aJso  a  lantern  placed  upon  it  at  night,  which  gleams  afar 

upon  the  ocean.    Having  thus  fixed  their  bearings,  tie 

Great  Eastern  si^nds  off.  north  or  south  accordtog  to 

he  „^d  or  current,  three  or  four  miles  from  where 

he  cable  he^  and  then,  casting  over  the  gmpnel,  drifts    . 

dowly  down  upon  the  line,  as  ships  going  into  action 

reef  their  sails,  and  drift  under  the  enemy's  guns. 

The  "flshmg-tockle"  is  on  a  gigantic  scale.    The 
hook^    or  grapnels,  are_hugeWea?onsjrmeijrith_ 
-««^hbr  T,a«iis  Harpoons  to  be  plunged  into  ttT" 


I 


-tl^.  Md^l 


i.  ,■; 


898       Hiai^I^Y  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  Ti^EGRAPH.  ^ 

submarine  monster.    The  "  fishing-line  "  is  a  rope  six 
and  a  half  inches  round,  and  made  of  twisted  hemp 
and  iron,  consisting  of  forty-nine  galvanized  wires, 
each  bound  with  maniUa,  the  whole  capable  of  bearing 
a  strain  of  thirty  tons.     Of  this  heavy  rope  there  are 
twenty  miles  on  fcoard  the  ships,  the  Albany  carrying 
five,  and  the  Great  Eastern  and  the  Medway  seven 
and  a  half  miles  each.    Of  course  it  is  not  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world  to  handle  such  a  rope.    But  it  is 
paid'  out  by  machinery,  passing  over  a  drum;  and  the 
engine  works  so  smoothly,  that  it  runs  out  as  easily  as 
ever  a  fisherman's  line  was  reeled  off  into  t^e  sea.    As 
it  g5es  out  freely,  the  strain  increases  every  moment 
The  rope  is  so  ponderous,  that  the  weight  mounts  up 
very  fast,  so  that  by  the  tiine  it  is  two  thousand  fath- 
oms down,  the  strain  is  equal  to  six  or  seven  tons. 
The  tension  of  cour^  is  very  great,  and  not  unattend- 
ed with  danger.    What  if  the  rope  should  break?    If 
it  should  snap  on  board,  it  would  go  into  the  sea  like 
a  cannon-shot.     Such  was  th*  tension  on  the   long 
line,  that  once  when  the  splice  between  the  grap- 
nel-rope and  the  buoy-rope  "drew."  the  end  passed 
along  the  wheels  with  terrific  velocity,  and  flymg  m 
the  8ir  over  the  bow,  I)lunged  into  the  sea.    But  the 
rope  is  well  made,  and  holds  firmly  an  enormous 
weight.    It  takes  about  two  hours  for  the  grapnel 


Vreaoh  the  bottom,  but  fliey  catitell  whentt  stxikcBi- 


i«^. 


^\*   \  .    .^'^  w.ii^u/>#<^ll!>,wJb<4jiA>^^iM«).f^ 


■  .-/"i 


S^'')"" 


V  ik 


^'''•r^-^'n: 


.•'3  H'Y'i)*-^:'^' 


STOEY  OP  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEGBAPH.      809 

The  strain\  eases  up,  and  then,  as  the  ship  drite,  it  is 
easy  to  s^eVhat  it  is  not  dn.ggtag  through  the  water, 
bm  over  theWound.  "I  often  went  to  the  bow" 
says  Mr.  FieIdX"and  sat  on  the  rop,,  and  eould  m 
by  the  qu,ver  tW  the  grapnel  was  dn^ging  on  the 
Dottom  two  miles  Vnder  us."  \ 

And  thus,  with  V  fishing  line  set^  the  great  ship 
moves  slowly  down  ^er  where  the  cable  lies.    As  the 
grapnel  drags  on  the  bottom,  one  of  the  engineer's 
staff  stands  at  the  dynamometer  to  watch  for  the 
moment,  of  increasing  ^rain.      A  few  hours  pa^ 
and  l^e  index  rises  to  ^ght,  ten,  or  twelve  tons! 
sure  token  that  there  is  ^mething  at  the  end  of 
the  hne-it  may  be  the  lost  cable,  or  a  sunken  mast 
or  spar,  the  fragment  of  a  wreck  that  went  down  in 
a  storm  that  swept  the  Atlantic  a  hundred  years  ago 
And  now  the  engine  is  set  in  motion  to  haul  in.    As 
the  rope  comes  up,  it  passes  over  a  five  fqet  drum 
eveiy  revolution  bringing  up  three  fathoms.    Thus  il 
takes  some  hours  to  haul  in  over  two  miles'  lengti.     . 
perhaps  at  last  to  find  nothing  at  tUe  end  I    ,  ' 

Success  in  hooking  the  cable  depends  on  the  accu- 
racy  of  their  observations.  These  were  sometimes 
verified  in  a  remarkable  manner.  When  the  nights 
were  very  dark  and  thick  with  fog,  so  that  they 
^id^otjee  the  stars  above  nor  Jheit  Iif.hf.  n^ 


tiiB  ocean,  tbey  tad  to  go  almost  by  the  sense  of 


\  "Mm 

hi 


.^UxJi^^tii  i.H*fi,st..,-i-c  .         ^ 


h    L'iirt.  s 


f-^VAV 


^JV 


Al 


400     Hisa:o9Y  of  thb  Atlantic  telegraph. 

feeling.  Yet  so  exactly  had  they  taken  their  bear- 
ings, that 'they  could  almost  grope  over  the  ground 
■with  their  ha^ds.  A  singular  proof  of  this  was 
given  Vrie  night,  when,  just  as  the  line  Began  to 
quiver,  showing  that  the  cable  had  been  hooked, 
ope  of  the  buoys— which  had  not  been  seen  in  the 
.  'darkness — ^thumped  against  the  side  of  the  ship.  So 
exactly  had  it  been  placed  over  the  prescribed  line, 
that  the  ship  struck  the  buoy  just  as  the  grapnel 
struck  the  cable !-  The  accident,  which  startled  them 
at  first,  when  it  occurred  in  the  glooni  of  night,  fur- 
nished the  strongest  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  their 
observations  ;  and  the  officers  were  very  proud  of 
it,  as  they  well  might  be,  as  "a  victory  in  nautical 
astronomy  1" 

These  different  experiments  revealed  some  secrets 
of  the  ocean.  Its  bottom  proved  to  be  generally  ooze, 
a  soft  slime.  When  the  rope  went  down,  one  or  two 
hundred  fathoms  at  the  end  would  trail  on  the  sea 
floor;  and  when  it  came  up,  this  was  found  coated 
with  mud,  "  very  fine  and  soft  like  putty,  and  Ml 
of  minute  shells."  But  it  was  not  all  0025e  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  even  oiTthis  telegraphic  plateau. 
There  were  hidden  r6cks-^  perhaps  not  clifl^  and 
ledges,  but  at  least  scattered  bouldew^  lying^on  that 
*  broad  plain.  Sometimes  the  strain  on  the  dynamo- 
""meterlv^burdstiacfenly^go^np  three  or  four  tons^ 


•V    • 


J^  <iS  ^ , 


r)i*^*^.a-?SWSp|bi( 


A». 


■I 


■*.  • 


niSTORY    OP    THE    ATLANTIC    TELEgW.     401 

tWn  back  again,  as  if  the  grapnel  bad  been  caught 
M  broken  away.  Once  it  came  up  with  two  of  ite 
hobks  bent,  as  if  it  had  come  in  contact  with  a  hu^e 

stonfchalf  the  size  of  an  almond;  and  at  another  a 
tragnfent  as  largQ  a^  a  brick.  This  waa  a  piece  of 
granitk  ■^. 

mL,  August  i7th,  was  a  memorable  day  in  the 
expedition,  for  the  cable  was  not; only  caught,  but 
brought  ^  the  surfece,  where  it  was  in  full  sight  of 
the  whole  ?hip,  and  yet  finally  escaped.  '  The  day  be- 
fb^  the  line^ad  been  cast  ovei,  at  .bout  two  o'clock, 
and  struck  the  ground  a  little  beforefiye.    After  drag! 
ging  a  couple  of  houi.,  the  increasing  strain  show^ 
tha    they  had  grappled  the  prize,  ^nd  they  began  to 
haul  m  but  soon  ceased,  and  hel^  on  till  morning. 
Then  the  engine  wa.  set  in  motion  again,  and  slowly 
but  steaddy  the  ponderous  rope  cC^p  fro„,  the 
deep       By  half-past  ten  o'clock,   Friday  morning, 

and  but  fifteen  or  twenty  remained.    Then  was  the 
enseal  moment,  and  they  paused  before  giving  a  last    . 
pull.    Such  was  the  eagerness  of\al],  that  the  diver  of 
be  sh,^  Clark,  begged  to  be  alleged  to  plunge  down 
w^&thoms,tol^hishand^thep^^^ 

f"^at  It  was  t^e^,^jmpaiien4^^few.ninix1^ 
■a-  lew  more  stmL-aa  «p  *t •     i     ,    . 


■^  few  more  strokes  of  the  eDgme,and  the  sea^ipent 


c.^Mi«ccsi:^i^.AaKV 


7  tf->^'-»'^ 


.TA^»  . 


*,i^;i. 


es^vfe'*  ^  V  ^'^■f^r' 


'X"'W.' 


402       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Ut. 


shows  himself — a  long  black  snake  with  a  white  belljr. 
"  On  the  appearance  of  the  cable,"  says  Deane,  in  his 
Diary  of  the  Expedition,  "  we  were  all  struck  with  the 
fact  that  one  half  of  it  was  covered  with  ooze,  staining 
it  a  muddy  white,  while  the  other  half  was  in  just  the 
state  in  which  it  left  the  tank,  with  its  tarred  surface 
arid  strands  unchanged,  which  showed  that  it  lay  in 
the  sand  only  half  embedded.  The  strain  on  the  cable 
gave  it  a  twist,  and  it  looked  as  if  it  had  been  painted 
spirally  black  and  white.  This  disposes  of  the  oft- 
repeated  assertion,  that  we  should  not  be  abje  to  pull 
it  up  from  the  bottom,  because  it  would  be  embedded 
in  the  ooze." 

The  appearance  of  the  cable  woke  a  tremendous 
hurrah  from  all  on  board.  They  cheered  as  English 
sailors  are  apt  to  cheer  when  the  flag  of  al  enemy  is 
struck  in  battle.  But  their  exultation  came  too  soon. 
The  strain  on  the  cable  was  already  mounting  up  to  a 
dangerous  point.  Capt.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Canning 
were  standing  on  the  bow,  and  saw  that  the  strands 
were  going.  They  hastened  men  to  its  relief,  but  it 
was  too  late.  Before  i;Key  could  put  stoppers  on  it  to 
hold  it,  it  broke  close  to  the  grapnel,  and  sunk4o  the 
bottom.  It  had  been  in  'sight  but  just  five  minutes, 
and  was  gone.  Instantly  the  feeling  of -exultation  was 
turned  to  one  of  disappointment,  and  almost  of  rage, 


A,.|>, 


^^  .trIi&vftlJl  'V-vt 


^'J!^    BfJ*    'l-TIkV-*   -4 


I  1   !■>,)  ,HJ     . 


a.  v» 


BISTORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       403 

head  from  the"  sea,  as  if  to  mock  its  captors,  and  in- 
stantly diyed  to  the  silence  and  darkless  below 

It  was  a  cruel  disappointment     Yei  when  they  came 

to  thmk  soberly,  it  was  not  a  cause  for  despair,  but  rather 

I  for  new  con^dence  and  hope.    It  showed  them  what 

i  they  coula  do.    But  this  detained  them  in  the  middle 

otuhe  Atlantic  for  two  weeks  more. 

It  were  idle  to  relate  all  the  attempts,  of  those  two 
weeks.    Everjr  day  brought  ite  excitement    When- 
ever  the  grapnel  caught,  there  was  a  suspense  of  many 
hours  till  it  was  brought  on  board.     Several  times 
they  seemed  on  the  point  of  success.    Two  days  afl^r 
that  fatal  Friday,  on  Sunday,  August  19th,  they  caught 
thQ  cable  again,  and  brought  it  up  within  a  thousand 
fathoms  of  the  ship,  and  buoyed  it     But  Monday  and 
luesday  were  too  rough  for  work,  and  all  their  labor 
was  m  vain.    Thus  it  was  a  constant  battle  with  the 
'  elements.   Sometimes  the  wind  blew  fiercely  and  drove 
them  off  their  course.     Sometimes  the  buoys  broke 
adrift  and  had  to  be  pursued  and  taken.    Once-^er 
twice  the  boatswain's  mate-a  brave  fellow,  b/ the 
name  of  Thornton-was  lowered  in  ropes  ojr  the 
bow  of  the  ship  and  let  down  astride  of  a  buoy ;  and" 
though^it  spun  round  with  him  like  a  top,  and  his  life 
was  m  danger,  he  held  on  and  fastened  a  chain  to  it 
by  which  It  was  swung  on  board. 


X 

< 


-%»' 


si 


!• 


^emtinued  bad  weather  was^^he  chief  obstecle 


i\ 


Sis  ityiA   1. 1  '% 


,1     .*'i,4A;-^«|i 


m-^: 


;frVW"i"'*''» 


.r(iVli>V«pj*  sr 


404      HISTORY  OF  TflE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


°;  > 


to  success.  Engineers  had  often  grappled  for  cables 
in  the  North  Sea  and  the  Mediterraaeah ;  but  there  ^ 
they  could  look  for  at  least  a  few  days  when  the  ^ea 
would  bo  at  rest;  but  in  the  Atlantic  it  was „ impos- 
sible to  calculate  on  good  weather  for  twen#-four 
hours.  For  nearly  four  weeks  that  they:  wersr  Wsea, 
they  had  hardly  four  days  of  clear  sunshine,  ti^thout  ■ 
wind.  Often  the  ocean  iwas  covered  -v^ith  a  driving 
mist,  and  the  ship^)  groping  about  like  blind  giants, 
kept  blowing  their  shrill  fog-trumpets,  Or  Ering  guns, 
as  signals  to  their  companions  ft^t  they  were  still 
there.  Occasionally  the  sun  shone  cmt  fr0m  the  clouds^ 
and  gave  them  hope  of  better  success.  Once  or  twice 
we  find  in  the  private  journal  kept  by  Mr.  Field,  that 
it  Was  "  too  calm ;"  there  was  not  wind  enough  to  drift 
the  ship  over  the  cablef  so  that  the  rope  hung  up  and 
down  from  the  bow,  without  dragging.  One  Sunday 
night  he  remembers  especially,  when  Ijhe  deep  was 
hushed  to  a  Sabbath  stillness,  the  moon  was  shining 
brightly,  and  the  ships  floating  over  a  "I  sea  of  glass," 
suggested  to  many  at  that  solemn  hour  |thoughts  of  a 
better  world  than  this.  Such  times  gave  them  fresh 
hopes,  that  in  a  few  hours  were  likely  to  b©  disappointed. 
I  Once,  however,  the  Albany,  which  had  been  off  a  few 
njiles  fishing  on  its  own  hook,  suddenljj'  appeared  in 
the  night,  reporting  a  victory.  All  on  board  the  Great 
-^Sastem  were  startled  hy  the  firing^of  guns.    It  wa»a  lit»-= 


''PT. 


^. 


1 
f 

'   t] 
1 

b^ 
tl 
2i 
A 

W) 

ez 

m( 

th( 

Hbej 


f    f   ■ 


"V 


HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.       405 

tie  after  midnight,  and  ^r.  Field  had  gone  below,  worn 
out  with  the  long  suspense  and  anxiety,  when  Capt. 
Anderson  eame  rushing  to  his  state-room  with  tidings 
that  the  cable  was  recovered  I    Both  hurried  on  d^ck^ 
and  sure  enough  there  was  the  Albany  bearing  down  ^ 
^POR  them,  with  her  crew  cheering  in  the  wildest 
manner.    The  gallant  Temple  had  conquered  at  last, 
^ut  the  next  morning  brought  a  fresh  disappointment 
JThey  had  indeed  got'  hold  of  the  cable,  and  brought  its 
end  on  board,  an^  afterward  buoyed  it,  but  when  the  ' 
Great  Eastern  went  for  it,  it  proved  to  be  only  a  fra..-  • 
ment  some  two  miles  long,  which  had  been  broken 
off  in  one  of  the  previous  grapplings.     However,  they 
hauled  It  m,  and  kept  it  with  pride,  as  their  first  trophy   - 
from  the  sea  t  j 

.      And  so  the  days  and  weeks  wore  onj^t  was  near 
the  end  of  August,  and  still  the  prize  was  not  taken. 
The  courage  of  the  men  did  not  fail,  but  they  were 
becommg  worn  out.     The  tension  on  their  nerves  of 
this  long  suspense  was  terrible.    On  Tuesday,  August 
28th,  Mr.   Temple  was  brought  on  board  from  the 
Albany,  very  iU.    He  was  worn  out  with  constant 
watchmg.      Their  resources,  too,  must  in  time  be 
exhausted.     On  the  evening  of  the  29th,  Capt.  Com- 
merell,  of  the  Terrible,  came  on  board,  and  reported 

^econditioit^  his  ship,    This  ms^^^^, 

best  officers  in  the  fleet    ~ 


15- iS 


^     i 

fa 


He  was  foil  of  zeal,  courage^  'i 


illl:^AS!^&^^%''^^^J&-^M-S^I'^l>^^^^' 


'■'«l* 


406       HISTORY  OF  THE  J^TLANTIC  TELEaBAPH. 

^and  activity,  (having  a  good  right  hapd  in  hil  first  ojBi- 
cex,  Mr.  Curtis,)  andT  always  kept  up  a  brave  heart, 
even  in  the  darkest  days,*  Bftt  his  supplies  were  nearly 

•  Captain  Anderson  pays  a  high  "tribute  to  tliis  commander  in  a 
letter  published  after  the.  return  to  England.  ,  He  says :  "Every  oflScer 
and  man  of  ^he  expedition  vill  have  pleasantjecoUcction  of  the  cheer- 
ful zeal  of  Captain  Commerill,  V.C.,  and  the  oflScera  of  Her  MajestySs 
ship  Terrible.  Captain  Commerill  frequently  visited  us  in  his  boats, 
both  in  high  s^aa  and  in  calms,  and  his  cheery  way  of  saying, '  You'll 
do  it  yet,'  '  What  can  I  do?'  and  '  I'll  do  it,'  was  truly  characteristic  of 
him.  The  oflScers  of  th'e  Terrible  would  do  any  thing  for  their  <saptain, 
and  entered  heartily  into  the  object  of  the  voyage." 

Such  a  tribute  from  one  brave  commander  to  another,  is  mpat  honor: 
able  to  both.  In  the  same  letter  he  recognizes,*  also,  the  services  ren-' 
dered.b^  the  captains  of  the  other  ships:  "I  shall  do  but  scant  justice 
to  Commanders  Prowse  and  Batt,  R.If.,  and  Captains  Eddmgton  and^ 
Harris,  Mercantilti  Marine,  of  the  Medway  and  Albany,  if  I  recall  the 
thr^e  weeks  spent  upon  the  '  grappling  ground,'  where  *we  Were  often 
separated  by  fog,  gale,  or  darkness ;  yet  whenever  day  dawned,  or  the 
fog  cleared,  there  the  squjidron  were  to  be  seen,  converging  fyom  diffetf 
ent  pomts  towards  the  Mark  Buoy,  a  small  spot  looking  no  bigger 
than  a  man's  hat  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  Unless  all  had  con- 
centrated their  minds,  and  watched  their  ships  and  compasses  night 
and  day,  no  such  beautifbl  illustration  of  nautical  science  could  have 
been  possible.  The  vessels  of  the  squadron  keeping  always  together, 
and  commanded  by  men  who. knew  the  importance  of  keeping  close 
enough  to  bepn  work  whenever  it  was  posrible,  and  ye«f  to  avdd  col- 
lision m  fog,  was  of.4he  greatest  importance;  and  we/ owe  much  to 
that  invaluable  system  of  signalling  by  night  and  da^,  hiVentcd  by 
Captain  Colomtb,  B.N.,  which  enabled  us,  even  in  dark  nights,  when 
^iro  or  three  mjloH  i 


icate  or  aacertiUii  any  thing  we 


deaired." 


h- 


*«'>■ 


/ 


v.* 


in 


mrOEY  OP.  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEGHAPn.       407 

«Wad.    Ho  had  been  out  four  wco^  and  his  coal 
-as  aln^ost  gone,  and  hirt^en  were  on  hal^  ration      ^ 

,        ''«--' leave  the  fishing g^undforfreshsuppir,     ft 
-as  a  pa,nful  necessity,    .a,  „„„„^  ^^  ^  ^  j^/' 

baftl.  But  he  subm.tted  only  with  a  determination  to 
take  m  ammumfon,  and  to  come  back  in  a  few  days  to 
^ew  the  struggle.  Accordingly  the  Terrible  left  the 
same  evening  for  St  John's. 

■'     shins  „t  T^  "°"  "  """  '^^''^^  """  'ts  «>'«  other- , 
•    .7' '''""''''^"'•■^'-P'^sent  cruising  groind  and   ' 

oetter  luck  m  other  watera,  so  thej  proposed 

was  not  quite  so  deep.    Deane,in  his  Diary  calls  it 
'the  sixteen  hundred  fathom  patch  "  but  tZ-'v  f    ^ 
it  ninete-en  hundred'fathom.        7      ^^t  they  found  x 
u«iiurea  lattioms,  or  about  two  ciiles  I     <^r^ 

':7S"S\«-;-----ed4an" 

.  buoy,  ana'boi"L7^'t:2"i:r^''h*'"''  ■ 

at  noon  it  waJldld     f         ^^  ^°"  ^"-^"'  «^  *^*»* 
THWifion  inTme,  about  ^^  rv.;i.„  ._.  .        .     --cneir 


^^""""^"^  about  two  ™,es  apar^^y  ,,  ^ 


■  ,v 


ft 


.*^^)6j^^55»,){%^r  -i\*    *     -*.LI.A~ft 


^. 


'?* 


M 


i'^ 


fjiM'-^ 


408       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.  ' 

tbW  broadsides  at  once.  The  grapnel  goes  over. for 
the  thirtieth  time.  Kind  heaven  favors  its  search,  and 
at  ten  minutes  before  midnight  it  has  found  the  cable,  >• 
and  faste)ied  its  teeth  never  to  let  go.  Feeling  some- 
thing at  the  end  of  the  rope,  they  begin  to  haul  in,  but 
slowly  at  first,  as  an  expert  angler  decoys  a  big  fish  by 
pulling  gently  on  the  line.  Watching  the  dynamometer, 
they  see  with  delight  the  strain  increase  with  every  hun- 
dred fathorafe.  "  Tip  it  goes  to  eight,  nine,  ten  tons  I  Now 
they  have  caught  it,  and  no  mistake.  In  about  five  hours 
they  have  drawn  it  up  to  within  a  thousand  fathoms 
of  the  top  of  the  water,  where  it  hangs  suspended  from 
the  ship.  But  now  comes  the  critical  point,  for  as  it 
approaches  the  surface  the  danger  of  breaking  increases 
every  moment.  It  requires  delicate  handling.  To  make 
-eure  this  time,  the  Great  Eastern  buoys  the  cable,  and 
moves  Qflf  two  or  three  miles  to  take  a  fresh  grip  in  a 
new  place.  And  now,  having  got  a  double  hold,  the 
Medway,  which  is  two  miles  further  to  the  west,  is 
ordered  to  grapple  for  it  also;  and  having  caught  it. 
to  heave  up  with  all  force;  till  she  should  bring  it  on 
board  or  break  it  Jhis  is  done,  and  the  cable  brought 
up  within  three  hundred  fisithoms,  and  there  broken. 
This  at  once  lightens  the  strain  and  gives  them  an  end ' 
to  pull  up  on.  And  now,  having^  lighter  weight  on 
1ihe  rope,  the  Great  Eastern  draws  up  again,  but  still 
"geniayv  watching  the^Btrain,  lest  the  cablfrshoidd  break.— 


,^n^. 


*  ■  .- 


HISTOEr  OP  THE  ATtANTIO  TELEGRAPH.      409 

These  operations  are  very  slow,  and  last  many  weary 
hours     It  was  a  Uttle  before  midnight  on  Friday  night 
ftat  the  cable  was  caught,  and  it  was  after  midnight 
Sunday  morning  that  it  was  b^ght  on  board.    How 
long  that  day  seemed  I    Night  turned  to  morning  and 
momng  w  „oon,  and  noon  to  night  again,  and  sSl  the 
work  was  not  done ,  stiU  the  g^eat  ship  hung  over  the 
«pot  where  its  treasure  was  suspended  in  the  deep 
The  sun  went  down,  and  the  moon  looked  forth  from 
Aivipg  clouds  upon  a  scene  such  as  the  ocean  never 
saw  before.  At  a  distance  could  be  discerned  the  black 
hulls  of  the  attendant  ships,  the  Albany  and  the  Med- 
way.    Bat  why  are  they  thus  sUent  and  motionlete  in 
the  muist  of  the  sea  ?    Some  mysterious  errand  brings 
them  here,  and  as  their  boats  approach  with  mcasurrf 
sweep,  atthis  midnight  hour,-  it  seems  as  if  they  came 
w.th  muffled  oars  to  an  ocean  burial..   It  was  still  calm, 
but  the  sea  beganto  moan  with  unrest,  as  if  tmubled 

mrtss^eep  As  midnightdrew  on,  theinterest  gathered 
about  the  bows  of  the  Great  Eastenu  The  bulwarks 
were  crowded  with  anxious  watchers,  peering  into  the 
darkness  below.  StUl  not  a  word  was  spoken.  Not  a 
™«  was  heard,  sa,e  that  of  Oapt.  Arrde«on,  or  Mr. 

Halpm  orMr.0ann,ng,givingo«3e,«.  Asitapproaehed 
the  surfec^  two  men,  who  were  tried  cable-hands,  we.« 

^^J'-'L^P^M  lowers  ov«r  thKh^w.  to  mri,. 
last  m  f.ho  naVki<>  «.i 'x    1      . . 


^  to  flie  cable  when  it  should  appear.    This  was  a 


.X 


vvr 


^Jf.t 


.1. 


i 


■V'V  . 


410       HISTORY  OF  THE -ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

perilous  service,  and  the  boats  were  there  to  pick  up 
these  brave  fellows,  if  they  should  drop  into  the  water. 
As  soon  as  it  shows  itself,  they  dive  upon  it,  and  seizing 
it  with  their  hands,  fasten  it  with  large  hempen  stoppers, ' 
which  are  quickly  attached  to  five-inch  ropes.  "  It 
was  then  found,"  says  Deane,  "that  the  bight  was  so 
firmly  caught  in  the  springs  of  the  grapnel,  that  one 
of  the  brave  hands  who  put  on  the  stoppers,  was  sent 
lower  dowa  to  the  grapnel,  and  with  hammer  and 
marlinspike,  the  rope  was  ultimately  freed  from  the 
tenacious  gripe  of  the  flukes.  The  signal  being  given 
to  haul  up,  the  western  end  of  the  bight  was  cut  with^ 
a  saw,  and  grandly  and  majestically  the  cable  rose  up 
the  frowning  bows  of  the  Great  Eastern,  slowly  passing 
round  the  sheave  at  the  bow,  and  then  over  the  wheels 

,  on  to  the  fore  part  of  the  deck.    The  greatest  possible 
care  had  to  be  taken  by  Mr.  Canning  and  his  assistants,  " 
to  secure  the  cable  by  putting  on  stoppers,  and  to  watch 
the  progress  of  the  grapnel,  rope,  an^  shackles,  round 
the  drum,  before  it  received  the  cal^  itself." 

When  once  it  was  made  fast,  ^  took  a  long  breath. 
The  cable  iraa  recovered.  They  had  the  sea-serpent 
at  last.  There  iWd  monster  lay,  its  neck  firmly  in  their 
gripe,  and  its  blaok  head  lying  on  the  deck.    But  even 

>-fcfe6B'  there  was  no  cheering,  aa  when  they  caught  it 
two  weeks  before.    Men  are  sometimes  stunned  by  a 
— Badd«»-guccoag,aiid -hardly  know  if-it  be  not  all-ft— 


% 


^,:- 


.  '  jW-  .  *V'>  '     i^<.WMi^  'r^\J-dh.J-^  L.     it  < J  \i,W.  Vsii^ji^^ 


SIS    . 


.1    "ft'^V^"    '___^•<l?^" 


.  HISTOBY  OP.  THE  ATLAOTIO  TELEOKAPH.       4U 

dream  So  now  they  looked  at  the  cable  with  eager 
eyes,  but  without!  word,  and  some  crept  toward  it  to 
take  It  in  their  hands,  to  be  sure  that  they  were  not 
deoexvM  Yes-it  is  the  same  that  they  paid  out  into 
tue  sea  thirteen  months  before  I 

But  their  anxietj  was  not  over.    Now  that  they  had 
regained  the  lost  cable  of  1866,  was  it  good  for  any 
thing?    It  had  been  lying  more  than  a  year  at  the 
bottom  of  the  deep.    What  if  it  should  prove  to  have 
been  broken  somewhere  in  the  eleven  hundred  miles 
between  the  sh^  and  IreWd?    What  if  some  sharp 
rock  had  worn  it  away,  or  some  marine  insect  had 
eaten  into  ite  heart?    If  there  wei^  but  a  pjn's  point, 
anywhere  in  ite  cohering  of  flesh,  through  that  the 
^taUurrent  might  escape  into  the  sea.     Fears  like  / 

these  restrained  their  exultetion.     It  was  yet  too  soon  ' 

to  proclaim  their' victory.    So,  as  the  cable  was  passed 
a^ong  the  deck  to  the  testing  room,  where  the  chief 
^electocian  was  to  operate  upon  it^  to  see  whether 
,,    It  was  ahve  or  dead,  it  was  foUowed  by  an  «mou. 
group,  who  stood  around  him  as  he  sat  down  at  the 
instrument,  watehing  his  countenance  as  friends  watoh 
tiie  fece  of  a  physician,  when  he  feels  ihe  pulse  of  a  / 
-     ,     pa^t  to  see  if  the  heart  is  still  bea^ug.    The  scene/ 
18  thus  described  by  Mr.  Bobert  Dudley,  the  artist  of^ 
the  expedition,  whose  spirited  sketohea  in  th.  T^r^A^L 


''M 


M'  t 


^^ 


I    M 


I 


I  '^       -1 


,ii,4*iWi-!jkifJS»»,U' 


'"?'■-. 


ft' 


' !' 


*    », 


•  i 


412       HISTOBY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Illustrated  News  have  made  known  to  the  world  many 
incidents  of  this  memorable  voyage :         \ 

"  I  made  my  way  with  others,  in  accordance  with  an  , 
invitation  from  "VVilloughby  Smith,  to  the  electricians? 
room.!  Here,  after  another  hour's  preparation,  during 
which!  time  the  cable  had  been  carefully  passed  round 
the  drluns  of  the  picking-up  machinery,  and  a  sufficient 
length  dirawn  in  on  board,  the  severed  end  was  received. 
And  now,  in'  their  mysterious,  darkened  haunt,  the 
wizards  are  ready  to  work  their  spells  upon  the  tamed 
lightning.  Not  'unholy  spells'  are  these,  or  gecret; 
for,  though  the  wizards'  den  is  but  of  limited  dimen- 
sions, they  have  not  been  averse  to  the  presence  of 
a  few  visitors,  ^r.  Go<fch  is  looking  on ;  Professor 
Thomson,  be  sure,  is  here,  a  worthy  *  tVizard  of  the 
North;'  Cyrus  Field  could  no  naore  be  absent  than 
the  cable  itself;  I  think,  too,  Canning,  hard  at  work  as 
he  is  forward  in  the  shipy  mvM  have  dropped  in  ju^t^ 
for  a  moment;  CMbrd,  Laws,  Captain  Hamilton, 
Deane;  Dudley — all  have,  in  their  several  ways,  a  ^reat 
interest  in  every  movement  of  Willoughby  Smith  and 
his  brother  (and  iable  assistant)  Oliver:;  and,  when  the 
core  of  the  cable  is  stripped  and  the  heart  itselfr-the 
conducting  wire — fixed  in  the  instrument,  and  these 
two  eieotricians  bend  over  the  galvanometer  in  patient 
watching  for  some  mess^^e  from  that  far-off  land  of/ 
4i©ffle  to  which  the  ffresfc  news  hi»  just  b^etr«gnftlle 


m^  r 


it,^i,:.!,ii&>i 


n  i 


i. 


;t    5 


HISTOHr  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOBAPH.       413 

,  then  the  a«=ustomed  stiUoeas  of  the  test-room-^ 
deepened,  the  ticking  „f  the  chronometer  Cn.^ 
O3ono,ono„^  Nearly  a  auarter  of  au  hour  ha^Ta^ 
and  sfU  no  sign  I    Suddenly  WiUoughby  SmlH 

eY^.t'  *"'  ^f^  Wh  bn.4  f^;  h*  H^ 
choed  by  aU  on 'board  with  a  .olley  of  ^ 

annng  the  last  three  honra.  Along  the  deck  o«.iH« 
over- the  ship,  through,.*  the  ship,L  JZllt^^ 
sj^overflowed.andeven  Wo«  thelt-^rwl 

iZ'o  the"™'  T"  "'  °"  ^-^  -^-^J  *" 
r,^  f .*J«.-='^''.  and  'he  whiz  of  rockets  was  heard 
xushmg  high  into  the  clear  morning  sky  to  w!! 
oonsort.ship«  with  the  glad  intelligence  »        ^ 

;  ^'1'''  '•'^  «»°« i»  8°ing  on  on  board  ship,  we  n,av 
urn  tojhe  other  end  of  the  Une.     It  4'  ^  "^ 

supposedthattheresultafthisattemptwaswaLe^^a 
d^p  .nter^t  at  Talentia,    How  they  looked  for^^" 

Ctt  ^  "^>««  b*0P  tested  for  conduotivitji^ 
wi«i  M'opuuB  urtTByaijwotation  of  a'mewge,^^ 


"*4 


^^ 


"^    . 


i* 


|-/-A^*i.'. 


%H 


414       HISTOBT  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOBAPH. 


\p 


I- 


)'^ee 


simply  tCKeep  an  accurate  record  of  the  condition  of 
the  wire.  Sometimes,  indeed,  wild,  incoherent  messages 
from  the  deep  did  come,  but  these  were  merely  the^ 
results  of  magnetic  storms  and  ^arth-currehts,  which 
deflected  the  galvanometer  rapidly,  and  sj^eU  the  most 
extraordinary  words,  and  sometirrles  even  sentences  of 
nonsense.  Suddenly,  last  Sunday  morning,  at  a  quarter 
to  six  o'clock,  while  the  light  wa^  being  watched  by 
Mr.  May,  he  observed  a  peculiar  indication  about  it, 
which  showed  at  once  to^  his  experienced  eye  that 
a  message  was  at  hand.  In  a  few  ininutes  afterward 
the  unsteady  flickering  was  changed  to  coherency,  if 
Ve  may  use  such  a  term,  and  at  once  ihe  cable  began 
to  sp6alc,  to  transmit,  that  is,  at  regular  intervals,  the 
appointed  signals  which  indipated  human  purpose  and 
method  at  the  other  end^  instead  of  the  hurried  signs, 
broken  speech,  and  inarticularte  cries  of  the  illiterate 
Atlantic.  After  the  long  interval  in  which  it  had 
brought  us  nothing  but  the  moody  and  oft^n  delirious 
mutterings  of  the  sea,  stammering  over  its  alphabet  in 
vain,  the.  words  *  Canning  to  Glass '  must  have  seemed 
like  the  first  rational  word  uttered  by  a  high-fevered 
patient,  when  the  ravings  have  ceased  and  his  conscious- 
ness returns." 

The  telegraphic  fleet  remained  ilogether  but  a  few  ^ 
hours  aft»r  this  recovery  of  the  lost  cable.    The  battle 
ginned,  and  me  Ifaree^faips  wotTSo  longerTO 


i( 


.\j.,W.,^.iiS^^"'tt-i-^u 


L.'.!  i  .  v' V  !S  '-  ', '  f  > ..  4.^^!,  (', 


§h-  Y^-yt--' '  ' 


■^ 


•        ,  HISTOET  OP  THE  ATIANHO  ;TELEaRAPH.    '  ilB 

The  Albany,  therefore,  parted  company  to  pick  up  the 
buoya,  and  at  oaoe  saUed  for  England,  while  the  Gteat 
Baatern,  attended  by  the  feithlul  Medway,  turned'  to 
fte  west.    It  was  about  nine  o'clock  that  the  ship 
began  to  pay  out  the  oabfe    Vp  to  that  time  it  ha^ 
continued  cahn,  but  the  momingwaa  raw  and  chill,  and 
^e  sea  began  to  rise  as  if  in  anger  at  those  who  had 
torn  from  u  >ts  prey. ,  Capt  Anderson  looked  anxiously 
atthe  signs  of  the  coming  storm.    How providenti^ 
.t  seemed  th4t  the  wind  had  been  kept  back  duringthe 
■    cntuial  hours  when  they  were  lifUng  the  cable  I    Bat 
now  the  tempest  was  upon  them,  and  for  thirty-si:c 
houi,    t.  ,t^  ^^    ^^  trembled  lest  Ihey 

Bhou  d  not  be  able  to  hold  on.  But  little  incident 
somet^es  turn  the  curi^nt  of  one's  thoughH  and  give 
«  feding  ^f  peace  even  in  the  midst  df  anxiety.    Ln 

I  sat  in  the  electncans'  room,  a  flash  of  light  came  up 
«^m  he  deep,  which  having  crossed  to  Ireland,  c^ne' 
b^  to  m*  m  mid^ocean,  telling  that  those  so  dear  to 

well,  and  foUowmg  us  with  their  wishes  and  their 
P^jers.  -rWswaslii^.whispirofGodfiomthesea, 
bidding  me^keep  heart  and  hope.,  The  Gxeat  Eastern    ' 

bo«herselfproudlythroughth.storm,„sifsheknew 
.^i^,?4gldwMehw«.tojmtwaJ««»spfae 


^  *lie^^•;  and  «,  on  Saturday,  the  seventh  rf 


,.«*!. !,«»'.. 


^A'k'\\^i&tM.  h.'^  % , 


\' 


Si 


^^- 


< 


"I    l* 


^'*. 


^\ 


r*4 


< 


416       HISTORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH.      ' 

September,  we  brought  our  se9ond  cable  safely  to  the 
shore," 

The  scene  at  Heart's  Content,  when  the  telegraphic  \ 
fleet  appeared  the  second  .time,  was  one  that  beggars 
description.  Its  arrival  was  not  unexpected,  for  the 
success  on  Sunday  morning,  that  had  been  telegraphed 
to  Ireland,  was  at  once  flashed  across  the  Atlantic,  and 
the  people  were  watching  for  its  coming.  As  the  ships 
came  up  the  liarbor  it  was  covered  with,  boats,  and  all 
were  wild  with  excitement;  and  when  the  big  shore-end 
was  got  out  of  the  Medway,  and  dragged  to  land,  the 
sailors  hugged  it  and  almost  kissed  it  in  their  extrava- 
gance of  joy ;  and  no  sooner  was  it  safely  landed  than 
they  seized  Mr.  Canning,  Mr.  Clifford,  and  Mr.  Field, 
in  their  arms,  and  raised  them  x>ver  their  heads,  while 
the  crowd  cheered  with  tumultuous  enthusiasm. 

The  voyage  of  the  Great  Eastern  was  ended.  Twice 
had  she  been  victorious  over  the  sea.  Twice  she  had  l^id 
the  spoils  of  victory  on  the  shores  of  the  New  World, 
and  her  mission  was  accomplished.  All  on  board,  who 
had  been  detained  weeks  beyond  the  expected  time, 
were  impatient  to  return ;  and  accordingly  she  prepar- 
ed to  sail  the  very  next  day  on  her*  homeward  voyage. 
The  Medway,  which  had  on  board  the  cable  for  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  remained  two  or  three  weeks 
Jonger,  and  with  thd  Terrible,  whose  gallant  officers  had 
HFolunteered  ^T  the  serviee,  gooceaafully  acc^ai^^i^ed^ 


w'  ^^ 


.■4 


.^    ^ 


■  if-  ■  ".y 


HISTOHY  OF  THE  ATLAinilO  TILEQBAPH.       «7 

•■  -ffiMwork.    But  the  Great  Eaitern  was  boind  for 
EDghnd,  and  Mr.  Field  had  niw  to  part  from  hia 
friends  on  board,:  It  was  a  trying  moment    Bejoieed 
as  he  was  at  the  sueeessful  termination  of  Jhe  voyace 
yet  when  he  cam,  to  leave  the  ship,  wh^re  he  Tad 
spent  so  many  anxious  days  and  wpeH  bodh  this  year 
and  the  year  before;  and  to  part  ifom  men  to  whom 
he  was  bound  by  the  strong,  ties  that  iite  those 
embarlced  in  a  eommon  enterpris^braye  cimpanions 
m  anns-he  eould  not  repress  a  feeling  of  sadness.   It 
was  with  deep  emotion  that  Oapt  Andem^nitook  him 
by  the  hand,  as  he  said,  "The  time  is  eometbatwe 
mnstpart-    As  he  went  oyer  the  side  of  the  ship, 
Giye  him  three  oheera  I"  cried  the  commander  •  "  And 
now  three  more  for  his  &mily  I"    The  ringing'  hnrras 
of  tha   ^h,nt  erew  were  the  last  sounds  he  heard  as 
he^  back  in  the  boat  that  took  him  to  the  Medway 
wWe  the  wheels  of  the  Great  Eastern  b^n  to  more; 
and  tjat  noble  ship,  with  her  noble  company,  bor^ 
away  for  England...  .ri  w™ 


Our  story  zs  told.  We  haye  foUow^  the  history 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  fix,m  the'b^inning  to  tho 
end;  &>m  the  hour  that  the  idea  first' occurred  to  ita 
P^^*°Mfning  oyer  the^be  i,  kjife^  gl 
Ttio  cable  was  stretched  finmr^tjn^i..  .J^~ZL~ 


^fte  cable  was  stretched  ftom  continent  to  coSienV 


Sl'*!^*'  k^^tajJi'M-. 


-K-v 


418       HIStoRY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGBAPH. 


\ 


% 


\  Between  these  two  points  of  time  many  years  have 
I  passed,  and  many  struggles  intervened.    Never  did 
I  an  enterprise  pass  through  more  vicissitudes ;  never 
I  was  courage  tried  by  more  reverses  and  disappoint- 
ments, the  constant  repetition  of  which  gives  to  this 
narrative  ^p.  almost  painful  interest     Yet  that  back- 
ground of  disaster  only  sets  in  brighter  relief  the  epirit 
jthat  bore  up  under  all,  the  faith  that  never  despaired^ 
jand  the  patience  that  never  Was  weary.    He  who  has 
followed  this  Simple  record  to  its  close,  can  understand 
the  feeling  expressed  in  this  modest  and  grateful  ac- 
Itnowledgment :  ; 

I  "It  has  been  a  long,  hard  struggle.  Nearly  thirteen 
3|ears  of  anxious  watching  and  ceaseless  toiL  Often 
nky  heart  has  been  ready  to  sink.  Many  times,  when 
wandering  in  the  forests  of  Newfoundland,  in  the 
ppliing  rain,  or  on  the  deck  of  ships,  on  dark,  stormy 
nights — alone,  far  from  home — I  have  almost  accused 
myself  of  madness  and  folly  to  sacrifice  Ae  peace  of 
mkr  femily,  and  all  the  hopes  of  life,  for  what  might 
pijove  after  all  but  a  dream.  I  have  seen  my  com- 
panions one  and  another  falling  by  my  side,  and  feared 
thjftt  I  too  might  not  live  to  see  the  end.  And  yet, 
Onte  hope  has  led  me  on,  and  I  have  prayed  that  P 
inight  not  taste  of  death  till  this  work  was  accom- 
plahed.    That  prayer  is^answei^d ;  and  now,  beyond 


I 


1 


I.5»',' 


ii^^U\  '4 


Ji*    <ic*3»     lVT*-.K'f 


T-J., 


■  !^-UM»M  K'jUmMIMIMMi^I^-^. 


rT^^W" 


HISTOKr  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGEAi-H.       419 

.ai  «oknowledgm.nta  to  men,  i.  the  feeUng  „f  g^,;. 
tude  to  Almighty  God."*  B  "^  grati- 

end  what  a  tnumph  is  gained  I    The  ac'hieveiem  i. 
ertamly  one  of  the  most  mar.ellona  i.'~^TZZl 


g-ph  repons  to  ns  what  tn.napM  in  E  J", 
few  hou«  before.  We«.,  so  familiar  with  it  have  we 
Wme  that  we  ha^ly  stop  to  think  what  it  invIC 
I')  to  one  who  reflects,  it  can  never  lose  its  greatness 
X^^    ^'-^-^waysremaSnamarv^andl^ 

Z  tl   rl  ''"'''  *™  *■"'  ™-''--    Nine  yea™ 

I^«Ste    ^"""^  "  "^  ■"^■"""""o  -«»»  "- 
aIw  1         T"''  °^  *^'  ""*y  Observatory  at 

whioh  IS  now  in  progress  of  n^Bu&st„„  .t„         / 
^encawithEurop.    Does  it  seem  all  b!t  ^:::^. 


•fincflflh  "iuxTiUi- 


!   , 


% 


k^^^sijm 


'"*"<».?•■■,►■• 


m'^m':>i*^'7:-'ii:' 


•Kf'.'wpVij.i-. 


420       fflSTORY  OF  THE  ATLuiNTrO  TELKGBAPH. 


T 


ble  to  you  that  intelligence  should  travel  for  two  ttiou- 
sand  miles,  along  those  slender  copper  wires,  far  dow]^\^ 
L  in  the  all  but  fathomless  Atlantic,  never  before  pene- 

trated  by  aught  pertaining  to  humanity,  save  when 
some  foundering  vessel  has  plunged  with  her  hapless 
company  to  the  eternal  silence  and  darkness  of  the 
abyss?  Does  it-seeiri,  I  say,  all  but  ik  miracle  oi^art, 
that  the  thought#  of  living  mpn — the  thoughts  that 
we  think  up'  Here  on  the  earth's  surface,  in  the  cheer- 
ft!  light  of  day-^abouttheiaafkets  and  &©  exchanges, 
>x  and  the  seasons,  and  the  elections,  and  the  treaties,  and 

the  wars,  and  all  the  fond  nothings  of  daily  life,  should 
clothe  themselves  with  elemental  sparks,  and  shoot 
with  fiery  speed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  from  hemisphere  to  hemisphere,  far  down  among 
the  uncouth  monsters  that  waUow  m  the  nether  seas, 
along  the  wreck-paved  floor,  through  the  oozy  dun- 
M  geons  of  the  rayless  deep ;  that  the  latest  intelligence 

^'  of  the  cropSj  whose  dancing  tassels  will,  in  a  few 

months,  be  coquetting  with  the  west  wind  on  thode 
boundless  j^rairies,  should  go  flashing  along  the  slimy 
V^  decks  of  old  sunken  galleons,  which  have  been  rotting 

<    ,        for  ages ;  -that  messages  of  friendship  and  love,  from 
4-^#arm,  living  bosoms,  should  bum  over  the  cold,  green 
bones  of  men  and  women,  whose  hearts  once  as  warm 
/   as  ours,  burst  as  the  eternal  gulfs  dosed  and  roared 
over  them  centuries  ago  I"       '   .  '  ^ 


1 


i.<J^as£&^i'&'S^^k4.:J! 


33 
I 


'  /*  '/f  ,v 


L.-j^fk^.iftj/iiA.-^.^  ^. 


'.^^'■r'T?^^;;  ■,./'/-;'  ■■^^'  ,^  i^'tif^^'^^ijrr"- Tr^*. 


T 


/. 


HISTOEr  OF  THE  ATLAOTIC  TELEQBAPH.       421 

.        No  wonder  that  the  imagination  of  the  «reat  orator 
was  touched  by  thought  of  the  ahnost  fathomlesa 
depths  and  boundless  spaces  through  which  this  fiery 
messenger  was'  to  make  its  way  I 
_       But  it  i3  not  alone  the  "mi„.cle  of  art,"  or  the  tri- 
umph of  science,  which  gives  interest  to  this  achieve- 
ment    It  is  the  changed  relation  which  it  establishes 
between  iffer^nt  parts  of  the  earth.    It  brings  the 
world  together.    It  joins  the  sundered  hemisple™. 
-  It  unite  distant  nations,  making  them  feel  that  they 
are  membei^ofone  great  human  family.    Thatwhieh^ 
has  such  a  "  mission,"  it  is  impossible  to  think  of  as  a 
mere  material  tUng.    This  ocean  cable  is  not  an  iron 
Cham,  lying  c<M  ^^  dead  in  the  icy  depths  of  the 
AtUntie.    It  «  a  living,  fleshly  bonitetween  severed 
portions  of  the  human  feniily,  thrilling  with  life,  along 
which  the  pulses  of  love  and  tenderness  will  run  swS 

for  ever.    By  such  strong-ties  does  it  tend  to  bind  (ie 
hum«i  race  in  unity,  peae^,„deonco«l    It  seemed 

^  te  with  the  veiy  news  of  ita  success  came  tidings 
^t  the  great  war  in  Europe  was  ended  by  peace  W 
tween  Austria  ..aiWsi.  The  announ.^™ 
premature,  j  only  the  preliminaries  had  been  signed, 

•ft|«otual  cessation  of  anus,  to  be  followed  in  a  few 


■       -1 


JrSjsAS  iiwd^- 


.    4    • 


■    Wf 


','\^ 


smmmmmmimmmmmm^-- 


^^JffftP^^^f^^PW^ 


^*^?l^^S^R|^Pr^W^PP^ 


&■* 


r&^^ 


4' 
4 


-*..^.' 


422       HISTOBT  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  (TELBefeAPH. 


weeks  by  a  solemn  treaty  of  pea^a    This  was  tidings 
■     worthy  to  be  fladied  fi-om  one  hemisphere  to  the 

other.  • ^ 

It  seemed  as  if  this  sea-nymph,  rising  out  of  the 
ywaves,  was  bom  to  be  the  herald  of  peace.  Eight 
^  ye£u:s  before,  ahnost  the  first  news  it  brought  was  that 
of  peace  in  China.  Indeed,  the  very  first  message 
spoken  acrop^  the  deep  was  the  angels'  song :  "  Glory 
tp  God  in  the  highest,  and  op  earth  peace,  good-will 
toward  men."  And  now,  when  again  the  sea  "  had 
found  a  tongue,"  its  fi^t  message  waa  Peace.  Was 
not  this  "  the  voicj^  ^^^^  ^po^i  tbe  waters"  ? . 

To  thi^  best/w'^  of  human  speech  let  this  new 
instrument  belconsecrated  1  Whatsoever  goeth  down 
into  the  seaH^t  it  tend  to  human  good.  Heaven  for- 
.bid  that  the  voice  of  rage  and  anger  should  ever  in- 
vade  thdae  tranquil  depths.  However  men  may  hate 
each<<^ther;  however  they  may  war  up  here  on  the 
'  earth^  surfece,  let  their  rage  and  fury,  let  their  curs- 
ing and  blasphemies,  like  the  sound  of  hostile  cannon, 
di^  away  upon  the  upper  air.  But  in  that  under 
*     world,  that  realm  of  darknes$  and  silence,  where 


■Kj    ■'fs- 


"So  londy  'tis,  that  eirea  God 
Seems  not  theie  to  be,"' 


let  human  passion  never  coma    Peace,  peace,  above 


and  belowm^peciaily  between  the  two  kindred  ba* 


5: 


'0 


m 


I    r4* 


'V     ' 


^    '  ^'■^S''"J%M¥f'^^     ■'•^- ''f'^'f^ff^-w^i 


T 


1 1  - 


f.  : 


HISTOBT  OP  TM  ^TLmiO  TELEGWffl.'     428- 

tions,  dwelling  on  opposite  shores  of  th«  .. 
r  -tionsof  the  same  blood,  and  spe^nrTh!  ""* 
l»g>««e,  may  this  new  herald  .A^^^       ^^ 
continue  to  bL  ool/meT^  ^f     ""'" r'  '^^• 
windsblowandthe'wL:^;,    """"""'^"'^ 


Afi» 


f 


*        •? 


51 


W       s-» 


•<^, 


'«»*         >^-. 


..^. 


iPSeiftawweBWww,.-. 


u 


H  \ 


\ 


"^. 


? 
^ 


F 

--— 1,- 

""^^ 

■ 

■    J 

./ 

t 

.  .ftrtV',.*44Uiia  A>«!^iS^W^jfc»Arf!;,Jii^,i"Jl't^'f>«1 ,  '.'^^ .  • 

,  i 

— .J 

.* 


APPEl^Di; 


't^ 


-i        -  mm 


taORS  COxXFERRED  0  ENGLAND  MD  AMERICA. ,, 

The  writer  of  the  foregoing  p^ges  haa  carefully  refrained  from 
BuftL  /""/'  '^\T'^  "^^^  '"^^'^  *«  ^^«  tJ^^  *™th  of  hi  J" 

.!r:Te^— rt?ei*^^^^^ 

orElZranT^S^  Vthegovem.e.ts  ^A^^^J^ 

The  4Sal  Buccess  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  after  so  many  dig. 

appomtments  produced  a  profotmd  imprS.  IhrougrouUhe  c^ 

miTon'if'f   r*  '\r  °"^"'^^«  '"^^^  iBstancesonhe  chL^ 
in  national  feelmg  that.  where»«  in  1858  a  temponuy  succ^^ 

^ndled  the  wildest  enthusiasmin  the  United  Z^^ZT^^. 

SoL  iTThr.'^"'  '^""*  ^^'^  indifference,  no^  the  state  of 
leeUng  m  the  two  countries  was  completely  reversed     it  w«^  tiL 

«.eme  of  boundless  congratulation  in  Great^^^^ 

Zs  o?  r       '^^^::^^^l  P«'haps  by  the  excitemente^f  fo^  : 
years  of  war-received  the  gteat  news  with  composure     O^e  Z! 

than  in  the  earlie'r  Expeditions.    Certainly  none^d  deny  thl 
Inestimable  servicfes  rendered  by  her  men  of  sciZ.  her  Zilt 
her  engineers,  and  her  great  capitalists ;  and  it  waTi^ffit  l^Z 

^^r^TT  "  ^^  '*"'^'^^*  "•«  ^^^"^  **  Liverpool  byTe 
Thr^Jht  TT    'Tf'^'  °"  *^"  "^«"''^»  °^  *»^«  first Toctober 

»SW  of  Tirade,  presided.    IfOtd  Stanley,  tie  Minlrter  for  For 


.1.4^»iL.!.4!^^i 


ft^^mm**' 


'f-'t  *■*•»:."  ^'^•?%r  ^iw^ 


426 


'^,  >,^    «'*^^>i^ 


APPENDIX. 


V; 


<i  . 


^t' 


'7    • 


,AI&ii»,  spoke  heartOy  of  the  friendly  relations  wWch  ought  to  exist 
with  America.  He -said:  "  We  are  going  to  bring  the  people  of 
Englapd  and  the  United  States  into  $.  far  closer  connection  with 
one  another  than  has  ever  existed  before.  That  is,  in  my  mind, 
a  great  gain.  They  have  no  oppodte  interest ;  united,  they  are  a  ' 
inatch  for  the  world,  while  a  quarrel  between  them  would  be  a 
fearful  injury,  not  only  to  themselves  but  to  the  best  interests  of 
mankind.^  He  expressed  his  "  deep  conviction  that  on  the  union 
of  the  two  nations;  more  than  on  any  other  earthly  thing,  the  fu- 
ture of  -civilization  depends." 

The  Chairman  gave  the  health  of  "The  Original  Pfojectors  of 
the  Atlantic  Cable,"  which  he  proposed  early  in  orddr  to  give  Mr. 
i  Cyrus  Field,  (wAo  was  very  neir  to  them,  although  he  happened 
,  to  be  in  America  I)  a  chance  of  responding  to  the  toaet.   A  message 
/  was  at  once  sent  from  the  room  to  Newfoundland,  and  a  reply  re- 
mveJback  that  Mr.  Field  had  left  for,New-York.    In  continuing 
his  Speech,  he  said :  "I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  have  carefully  examined  the  history  of  these  transao- 
-  tions,  that  to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  it  is  that  we  owe  the  practical  carry- 
ing out  of  the  idea  which  has  borne  such  glorious  fruit.   I  am  sure 
there  ia  none  to  whom  we  owe  more,  or  whose  name  stands  in 
prouder  connection  with  this  great  undertaking  than  the  name  of 
Mr.,  Cyrus  Field." 

He  called  upon  Sir  Charles  Bright  to  reply,  who  detailed  some- 
what the  history  of  the  enterprise  from  the  vCfy  beginning  in 
1856,  when  "Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  to  whom  the  world  was  more  in- 
debted than  to  any  other  person  for  the  establishment  of  the  line, 
came  to  England  upon  the  completion  of  the  telegraph  between 
Nova  Scotia  and  Newfoundland." 

Mr.  C.  E.  Rawlins,  Jr.,  said :  "  I  may  be  allowed  to  refer  to  two  ot 
that  brave  and  determined  band,  who  are  not  present,  and  yet  are 
conspicuous  by  their  absence,  t  refer  espedally  to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field, 
of  New-Tork,  and  to  Mr.  Glass.  From  Mr.  Glass  we  have  received 
A  letter  dated,  I  regret  to  add,  firpm  his  sick  chamber ;  and  as  to 
Mr.  Field,  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  !Mr.  Bright  has  kindly 
brought  the  telegraph  wire  into  the  room  in  which  we  are  sitting, 
•nd  no  sooner  will  the  toast  involving  the  mention  of  Mr.  Field's 


-TnmB  be  given  iromths  chair,  thifflttrwiU  be  flashed  with  light- 
sing  speed  to  Yalentia,  t^nce  to  Newfoundland,  and  if  Mr.  Reld 


o 


1*1         (#t.^ 


■>(ri 


•    APPENDIX      .^ 


427 


>     ^^v!^l"     '  ""'"'  °'  ^°""  ""^^«^  '^^^^^^  ^"^  -«11  ^ed  away 

Ear^of^T"?.,*^^.'''^  ^^^  ^^"''^"ff  commuriication  from  the 
Earl  of  Derby,  the  Prime  Minister  of  England  : 

■'•'•■•  «  ■   .  '       ,    •   .      . 

„_,  "^-^MOBAi,,  Saturday,  Sept.  29, 1866' 

^  De^  Sm  Stafford  :  As  I  understand  you  are  to  have  tte 
honor  of  taking  the  chai.  at  the  entertaimnent'^which  is  to  b^liven 

l^tl'Jr:^ ""  '^''^''  '"^  '=«'''^'^*«  *^«  ^-^1«  success 
has  attended  the  great  undertaking  of  laying  the  cable  of  1866 

"iZT°^-  ^^^''llS^S'^y-Wchthe  twpc5ntinents of  Eu- 
rope and  Amenca  are  happily  connected;-!  am  commanded  by  the 
Queen  to  mak«  known  to  you,  and  tljrough  you  to  those  o^r  whom 

^f^s  co^^'^.l*"^  "°^^«-«*^  andtotender^^Mr 
jesty  s  cordial  congrat«L|tion8  tp  all  of  those  whose  energvanrf 

perseverande^hose^kiUar^sdencehavetriumphea^v^^^^  , 

f^^^^^'J'^dlM^ompUshed  a  success  dike  bonora£eTthenUC 
and  p  their  country,  and  benefici.a  to' the  world  at  large,  h" 
Majesty,  desirous  of  testifying  her  sense  of  .the  variormerit^ 

Tl^r^^f'f''^'^  ^  *^'  ^"^^  enterprise,  has  Z^t  ^ 
ed  me  to  submit  to  her,  for  special  marks  of  h6r  roya];favor  the 
names  of  those  who,^having  had  assigned  to  them  p^rtpT 

-  whose  united  labors  have  ««tributed  to'the  final  result  j^hS 
Majesty  hi«  acbordlngly  been  pleased  todirect  that  the  h^L of 
^^hthood  should  be  conferred  upon  Captain  AnderJ;;,  t^^l' 
and  zealous  commander  of  the  Great  Eastern;  Professor  Thoms^T 
s't^Lt^^f  ""^"^  ^  beenbrought'tobearwithtZ^; 
m™  T"  *^!  i°»PP>^«n^ent  of  submarine  telegraphy  { W7n 
Messrs.  Glass  and  Cannh»g.  the  manager  and  engiX^^^^^r 

.«  the  Telegraph  MaHrtenance  Company,  who^  sfciU^e^ 
nence  have  mamly  cont>ib^te<ito  the  admlAible  c6nstructLT^ 
Buccessful  laying  of  the  cablq.    Her  Majesty  is  f  Jhe^«^rto 

h^ZJu     ^:«.^  """^^^iy  the  conduct  of  th.  nnH^W.^ng, 


Mr.Umi«n,,h,  Deputy  Ciatauu.  of  «i.  origioj  o«i^to 


1    '  *■*? 


V     *>a 


•    »i 


r^n^*^  "*'"'  i*  ^ 


[-^..t 


',?5'«jf>i-j|',lg's!V^""'     # 


•*H 


*''*.  fr 


APPENDIX 


429 


be  likened  either  to  the  com  n,.  +».«      ^        . 
cable  it8elf.    At  times  he  hl^'Z       !  ^''*'™'''  Protection,  of  the 
.      been  its  iron-bound  "J^^^     Z  lo"  ^^  f  ^ '"  "^^"^  ^«  '^- 
having  first  said  the Tf  U«^;      ^,  ""'^^  "^'^"^  *^«  "'^rit  of 

is  du/the  in2  Jble  mirit  of  w7- r  ^^^^ 

^ving  to  an  abortive  ^ncepl^^^.rr  1""'"''^^  '^"^  °' 
existence."  conception  aU  the  attributes  of  healthy 

bla^k  and  white  mv  Wr  Z^l.^^""    "'"'  P'^**^«  ^«^  ^^ 

ergy  and  ^«ete^4 TeL^g  tto^hT^  '  ^"^^  ^'^'^  ^"■ 
and  how  clearly  you  stand^f^  uT^^  *^^  ^^*  enteqjrise. 
itsn^WwS^"^-,^«!f-^ 

wh^wt^al^^^-^r;-^^^^^ 

to  solve  the  difficult  probW  of  T      .T  ^  *^''^'  '^^  ^^  """"^ 
Field:  "You  did  n^orrt^J^  ^'"'^  !''7'^^^^' ^"^  ^  ^• 

single-handed  savrthet^oi^L^l^^  I^'^''*,^  ~°'^'  «^<* 
once."  '  ^®  "^^^^  ^m  collapse  more  than 

Captain  Sir  James  Anderson  reneaf^i  ♦!,» 
numberless  forms.    He  had^^  ^^f  !f      !  ,"^^  ~°^*^«»  *« 
to  infuse  his  own  ene^^rSxl  J?    "  "'^'  ""'''^  ^  ^°«J°« 
and  again  that  but  for  S^ ^Mc  Za"^"""'  '^^  ^^^'*^  "^^ 
scheme  would  have  bLk^doZ    '^f^'^^^^^*  efforts  the  whole 

Such   exprej^:^^:^  J:?i^^^°^ 

might  be  multipHed  to  aTy  S'^  '^TZ^t"  '"^^^^^ 
any  language  used  bv  t !».  «  *»!  t  T  "°®'*  stronger  than 
^Posely  k^^bacTt^i  t^^^Zl^  I^ir'  "'''  ^  ^- 
>^ed  to  exalt  an  individual  when'^n  ft^^  "^  *^*  ^« 
on  both  sides  of  th»  AtknS^'        °    ^  ''°^''*  ***  ^°  ^'"^'^  *<>  *" 

thiB  great  achievem^d  of  L^rt  in  u  Sr^^^r^**^^^ 
meroe  of  New-Vork  invited  J^.^eW  ^  i  i-^"*"^' "'  "^"^ 
w^givenonthefifteenthof  KoS^tr  Ur^t:::;^;:^ 


-f^'* 


•t 


-i^ 


-     M 


{J.  ■>■- 


428  APPENDIX. 

wCe  resolute  Bupport  of  the  project  in  spite  of  all  dJBCour^' 
HienL  it  was  in  a  great  measure  owing  t^atit  was  not  at  one  tme 
abandoned  in  despair;  and  to  Mr.  Goo<*,- ^ .  the  <:'ha.mBa  of 
the  Company  which:  has  finaUy  completed  the  desxgft.    If  among 
the  nam^hus  submitted  to  and  approved  by  Her  Majesty^lmt 
of  Mr.  Cyr^s  Field  does  not  appear^the  omission  ^^\^°'^f 
tributed  toeny  disregard  of  the  eminent  services  which,  fro^  the 
first  he  has  renderedjo  the  cause  of  transatlantic  telegraphy,  and 
the  zeal  and  ^solution  with  which  he  has  adhei^  to  tlje  P-e-  . 
tion  of  his  object,  but  to  an  apprehension  lest  it  might  appear  to 
encroach  on  L  province  of  his  own  Government;  if  Her  Majesty 
wei  advised  i^  'offer  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  for  a  sarvi^ 
rendered  alike  to  both  countries.  British  marks  o^  ^°^°';7^?' 
following  the  example  of  another  highly  distinguished  citizen,  he 
might  feel  himself  unable  to  accept.  ^         ' 

"I  will  only  add.  on  my  own  part,  how  cordially  1  concur  m  tho 
object  of  the  meeting  over  which  you  are  about  Ao  preside,  and 
how  much  I  should  have  been  gratified  had  circumstances  permit- 
ted me  to  have  attended  in  person. 
"I  am,  dear  Sir  Stafford,  very  sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)  "DERBT. 

"  Right  Hon.  Sir  Staffobd  Nobthcotb,  Bart.,  M.P. 

In  addition.  Staff-Commander  Moriarty  and  Captain  CMnmeriU 
.      of  the  Terrible  were  afterward  made  Commanders  of  the  Bath. 

As  the  English  Government  could  not  officially  recognize  and 
reward  the  projector  and  chief  promoter  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph, 
•  because  h«  was  an  American,  it  was  left  to  ^^^ividu^B  to^expr^ 
their  sen^  of  his  serviU  and  of  the  place  whic^  ^«^'^^^^ ' 
longed  to  him  in  the  history  of  this  enterprise.  That  position  was 
given  hiia  by  W.  H.  Russell.  LL.D..  ^^o  was  on  board  <^  the 
Great  EHrtem  in  1865,  and  wrote  the  official  History  of  that  Ex- 
pedition, (p.  10  0  ,         ■,  ^i„A 

at  hari  been  toid  that  the  greatest  boons  conferred  on  mankind. 

_.  .,     ,    ._ _  -*  ^^"Atiantic 


-Kavebeettdnetoinrotrf<>Bfr4d^   jfL  tho- layitig  .oUhe 


nave  peeu  uuo  w  «*«"  "»  -'-~ -  :  ^  •  ^„y^ 

cable  be  among  those  benefits,  its  consummation  n»«f  fv-  ff^ 
attribute4  to  the  man  who.  having  many  ideas,  devoted  himself  to 
work  o^  one  idea,  with  a  gentle  force  «.d  patient  -^^^J^ 
converted  opp9dtion  and  overcame  indiflference.    Mr.  Reld  may 


W'k: 


.^..'-L  ...  ..A 


^ 


^  - 


480 


APPENDIX. 


.% 


three  hnndred  gentlemen— not  only  merchants  and  baiikere,  but 
men  of  all  professions— lawyers  and  judges,  clergymen  and  pres- 
idents of  colleges,  membe^of  the  Government  and  foreign  minis- 
ters, and  officers  of  the  tony  and  navy.  The  Tresidentof  the  Cham, 
ber  of  Coinmerce,  A.  A.  Low,  Esq.,  presided*  and,  at  the  close  of  his 
opening  sp^h,  said :  "  We  may  fairly  claim  that,  from  first  to  last, 
Cyrus  W.  Field  hap  been  more  closely  identified  with  thb  Atlantic 
Telegraph  than  any  other  living  man ;  and  his  name  and  his  fame, 
which  the  Que^n  «f  Great  Britain  has  justly  left  to  the  care  of  the 
American  goveSment  and  people.  Will  be  proudly  cherished  and 
>  gratefiilly  honored.  We  are  in  daily  use  of  the  fruits  of  his  hibors ; 
and  it  is  me^  that  the  men  of  commerce,  of  literature  arid  of  law. 
of  science  and  art— of  all  the  prbfesaions  that  impart  dignity  and 
worth  to  6far  nature— should  come  together  and  give  a  hearty,  joy- 
ous,  and  generous  welcome  to  tl^is  truly  chivalrous  son  of  Ame^ca." 
He  proposed  the  health  of  their  guest :  ^ 

"  Ctbus  W.  Fmi-D,  the  projector  and  mainspring  of  the  Atl 
Telegraph ;  while  the  British  government  justly  honors  those  who 

Jve  taken  part  with  him  in  this  gr^t  work  of  the  age,  Aw  fi 
longs  to  us,  and  will  be  cherished  and  guarded  by  his  country- 
*«on."  - 

fix  his  reply,  Mr.  Field  gave  a  rapid  but  clear  sketch  of  the  his- 
tory of  this  enterprise  firom  the  very  beginning— a  period  of  nearly 
thirteen  years-taking  pains  to  do  full  justice  to  all  who  shared 
in  its  labors,  its  struggles,  its  disappointments,  and  its  triumphs. 
Especially  did  he  award  the  highest  praise  to  the  government  of 
England  for  its  liberal  and  constant  support ;  to  her  men  of  science 
and  her  great  capitalists,  and  to  the  officers  of  ships,  electricians . 
and  engineers,  who  had  taken  part  in  this  immense  undertaking. 
Such  scrupulous  desire  to  do  justice  to  aU  his  associates  is  a  rebuke 
to  those  whose  appreciation  is  confined  by  national  boundaries.. 
In  cloedng  his  remarks,  he  paid : 

"  Of  the  results  of  this  enterprise— commercially  and  politically 
—it  is  for  others  to  speak.  To  one  effect  only  do  I  refer  as  the 
wish  of  my  heart— that,  as  it  brings  us  into  closer  relations  with 
England,  it  may  prodQoe  a  better  understanding  between  the  two 
Qpuntries.  Let  whoji^l  speak  against  England— words  of  censure 
!^a»d^f4ip8  than  mine.  -1  have  received  twmuch^ 
kindness  firojiSglishmen  to  join  In  this  language.    I  have  eaten 


■  II 


ft;^'i^f<rajr.  ,cJA,V«'.'    iiSi-i  .indii  >  1.1.^1 /■h."wn^  .>     'ii^m^   .  4,»-\.     .' »».'i  ^,<- a.ilsj^'SM^iif^"'-^' 


I 


^^ 


4JPENDIX  43J 

of  their  bread  and  dranlf  of  +>,««. 

thefli,in  the  darkestT^  nf  tK       T'  "'^  ^  ^^«  '«««»^«d  from 

I  shall  never  forget  ^7^'*?^  ""^'^'i^'  '^^"^  o^  «l^eer  which 

and  «oodwm.t,fe;;£„^,^^j;^';^;/--e-tendtope^ 

to  remember  the  ties  of  wLl^    «i^  •    ^«  "^^  ^mtsymen 

America  with  aU  her^ltn^;        *^  ''  ^'^'^^^  *'»«»  ^'^r- 

land  ;  and  though  thSTw  W  "^""^  °"*  °'  *^«  '°^"«  "^^  E°«- ■ 

bitter  aa  famn/qm.ttL  X^^r:^^^/^^^^ 

a  yearning  for  the  old  hnn,o  nT  ,     r^?""  ">  ^^  hearts  thete  is 

enemy  of  Us  cZt^  LTo/  th'eh  °'  °^  ^*^^" '  *'^'  ^«  "  •« 
strife  between  twT  n^tt^ns  tt'l^TnrirS^e^t  7°^'  ^'  ""' 
in  religion.  (Applause.)  I  close^th  !h  -  ^' ^  ^^^"  "'^ 
AND  America  -  clasp™«  T  ^  sentmieAt :  England 

-HMOBAs/:,,tSV^^tr'   """    ^=^'  "^^   ™ 

(Enthusiastic  applauw-- th«  ^^         *^° ^  oenebatiomI 
cheers.)"  ^^  *^^  *''^«'^««  ^sing  and  giving  three 

The  speeches  which  followed  waw.  -ii  •     .■l 
generous  spirit     Admi^rS  "^^  "^  *^«  «™«  n»anly  and 

-in  1858,  and^tn^S^       7T-  "^^  *^*  ^«  ^"^  ^°  ^ewiork 
mo^d^e^y^teS   1"^'^^^^^  Fe^  had  felt 

He  did  no^consid^^at^i;;  w\r*  """'^''"^  «^*«^'^- 
final  contest  with  the  demTnLT  ^  u^*l  "*  ^'^  "^^  i"  the     - 
y6t^had4«^^gt?h  i    f**''^W  this  bond  of  union, 

advancement  of  ciX^fon^Sce  !?l'^       Z'^^^'  ^^"^  fi>r  the 
dom,  if  ever.  faU '  '  ^'^"^'"^  humanity,  they  would  sel- 

which  he  has  pl^^f  tjf  H-  T"""*  *^"  ^"^^^^  «^°ffh 
efforts;  and  I  W  ^i^  disasters  which  attended ,  Us^riy 
of  my  heart,  the  ten.^^  '^^  m^dei,  from  the  bo^ 
cont4ed  to  hoLln^A-     ^"^"^  ^*^  ^"*  that  man  S      ' 

cany  to  -mpl.Snl*:f\i;Sl''^"V"^*^  *  ^  ^*^^ 
^^„  /'"     "°"«°^*he  greatest  works  this  world  has  ev^ 


'■m 


m»mit>rm-i<<- 


^T 


^i^^^S^^JT'^ 


I  A^   I 


-iVV4aa:.?^. . 


'■"^:^^f^  ^yfrf^^ 


*,  '«  '^JT 


482 


APPENDIX. 


General  Dix,  Minister  to  France,  and  otherB.    The  CMef  Jostf* 
of  the  United  States  wrote  : 

"  iam  very  sorrj  that  I  cannot  leave  Washington  this  week,  and 
so  cannot  avail  myself  of  your  kind  invitation  to  join  yoii  in  co^^ 
gratulations  to  Mr.  Field  upon  the  success  of  liis  grand  undertaking. 
It  is  the  most  wonderful  achievement  of  civilization;  and  to  his 
sagacity,  patience,  perseverance,  courage,  and  faith,  is  civUization 

indebted  for  it. 

"  Such  works  entitle  their  authors  to  distinguished  rank  among 
pubUc  benefactors.  You  will  write  the  name  of  your  honored 
gpest  high  upon  that  illustrious  roll,  and  there  it  wUl  remain  in 
honor,  while 'ofceans  divide  Snd  telegraphs  unite  mankind." 

There  was  a  telegraph  instrument  in  the  room,  and  despatches 
were  received  du^ng  the  evening  frrtm  Mr.  Seward,  Secretary  of 
State,  and  other  members  of  the  Cabinet  at  Washington,  from  Lord 
Monck,  Govemor-General  of  Canada,  from  the  Governor  of  New- 
foundland, and  others.  One,  from  Captain  Sir  James  Anderson, 
was  dated  at  London  the  same  day.  John  Bright  also  wrote  a 
/  despatch  and  sent  it  to  London,  but  by  some  means  it  was  not 
^  forwarded.     He  afterward  wrote  a  letter,  giving  the  message. 

-It  was  as  follows:  -        ,        i.  i 

"It  is  fitting  you  should  honor  the  man  to  whom  the  whole 
world  is  debtor.  He  brought  capital  and  science  together  to  do  his 
bidding,  and  Europe  and  America  are  for  ever  united.  I  cannot  rit 
at  your  table,  but  I  can  join  in  doing  honor  to  Cyrus  W.  Field. 
My  hearty  thanks  to  him  may  mingle  with  yours."  He,  adds  that 
he  regarded  what  had  been  done  as  the  most  marvellous  thing  m 
human  history ;  as  more  marvellous  than  the  invention  of  the  art 
of  printing,br,he  was  almost  ready  to  say,  than  the  voyages  of  the 
Genoese ;  and  of  Mr.  FieldL  he  says,  that  "  the  world  does  not  yet 
know  what  it  owes  to  hiA,  and  that  this  generation  will  never 

know  it."  1^  , 

And  at  the  great  Reform  Meeting  held  at  Leeds  on  the  m  of 
October,  he  said :  "  A  friend  of  mine,  Cyrus  Field,  of  New-York, 
is  the  Columbus  of  our  time,  for  after  no  less  than  forty  p^ 
sages  across  the  Atlantic,  in  pursuit  of  th^  great  aim  of  his  Ufe, 
hThas  at  length,  by  his  cable,  moored  the  New  World  dose 
atoagade  thg  Old.— -~ . 


b:^^  >  . 


'•-.  «£(>/•  .^J'l'^'irfaV'^.fiaS.' 


4mm 


R5lJiS\, 


APPENDIX.  4jg, 

=mt^-.  Virtu,  ta  „M„t  „  f^^J.-^,^*^^'"""!- 

to  an  American  Mr  Cvma  ffi^iA  tr  •  xt  .  ■'^»"»'™«n,  tmt 
^^a ^ .t ao.  i^S^Si^.,?,-J^-n;.t *^^.' 
It  did  Eot  remove  momtidM,  at  least  defedioeui.  Akir\- 

,P^.  .he  pun  would  loatr  ago  W  t:^.ZZ^,f^ 
h  hto  tenacltj  of  p«rpo«,  and  taaWllty  to  mde«M,d  SfeTi' 

S»d..^  '  '»P'?»«"^ve  man  Of  the  Angl^on  ,«»  S^^; 
The  American  leddent.  In  P&ia  al*  ded™l  to  glvo  Mr  Held  a 

or  ~;:^r.aSitir  ^*^  •"^°»  '>'^'-.^* 

"CrBT78W.FiBU>,E8<i.,L<ftnx)^:  * 

We  remain,  Sir, 
Gbo.  t.  Bicumm, CB^fk^'  S;^- ^^^H, John Mdnkoe. 


'iiiitir- ■'1"" 


f  ■ 


I       .!N»WJ)-Vf 


Jc         ' 


484 


APPENDIX. 


Aoodrding  to  the  usage  of  our  country,  there  is  hardly  any  way 
'\Jn  which  the  QoTemment  can  testify  its  gratitude  to  a  public  beno- 
^tor.  It  has  no  knighthoods  and  baronetcies  to  confer.  The 
thanks  of  Congress  are  very  rarely  bestowed  except  upon  distin- 
guished officers  in  the  army  or  navy,  who  have  won  a  battle  or  led 
a  campaign,  and  thus  rendered  eminent  services  to  the  Republic. 
Y'ot  such  was  the  feeling  on  this  occasion,  that  when  Senator  Mor- 
gan, of  New- York,  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  in  the  name  of  the 
country,  it  met  with  an  immediate  response.  It  was  at  once  re- 
ferred to  the  Committer  on  Foreign  Relations,  which  reported 
tuianin^busly  in  its  fiavoir ;  and  when,  some  weeks  after,  giving 
time  for  d^e  deliberatieni,  it  was  brought  up  for  actioD,  it  passed 
with  entire  unanimity.  In  the  House  of  Representatives  it  was  pre- 
ceded by  many  bills,  so  that  there  was  danger  that  it  might  not 
be  reached  before  the  end  of  the  session,  yet  on  the  very  last  day 
Speaker  Colfax  requefted  unanimous  consent  of  the  House  .to  take 
it  up  out  of  its  order,  which  was  granted,  and  the  resolution  was 

then  read  three  times,.  and.passed  unanimously.    It  is  as  follows : 

1   i 

"  Resolved,  by  the  Sei/tte  and  Houne  of  HeprMpttatives  of  the 
United  States  of  Americt,  in  Congress  assembled,  T^hbX  the  thanks 
of  Congress  be,  and  the;  r  hereby  are,  presented  to  Cyrus  W.  Field 
of  New-York,  for  his  joresight,  courage,  and  determination  in 
establishing  telegraphic  communication  by  means  of  the  Atlantic 
cable,  traversing  mid-o<«an  and  eohnocting  the  Old  World  with 
the  New ;  and  that  tl  e  President  6f  the  United  States  be  re- 
,  qu^ed  to  cause  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck,  with  suitable  em- 
blems, devices,  and  ihscnptions^  to  be  presented  to  lilr.  Field. 

"  Sec.  2.  And  ha  it  farther  resolved,  That  when  the  medal  shall 
have  been  struck,  the  PcMident  shall  cause  a  copy  of  this  joint  reso- 
lution to  be  engrossoi  phi  parchment,  aad  shall  transmit  the  same; 
together  with  the  meialV'  to  Mr.  Fi^d,  to  be  presented  to  him  in 
t'le  name  of  the"  people  of  the  Cnitei  States  of  Amarica. 

"  Sec.  3.  And  be  it  furth-fr  resjloed.  That  a  sufficient  sum  of 
money  to  carry  this  resolution  into  elQPjct  is  hereby  appropriated 
out  otany  money  in  the  Treasury  nototherwiso  appropriated. 

"  Approved  March  3, 1867.  '  ■ 

-^  .,     "ANDM!W  JOHKSON."  = 


'^. 


■■^■■■l.l.k.l**!-. 


APPENDIX. 

And  just  as  we  aro  putting  these  pages  to  press  one  more  recoid 
of  official  action  coines  to  liand.    As  the  spontaneous  testimony  of 


,...,^ 

fn 

435 

in  the  great  enterprise  at  its  very 
•riatelydoso  this  Appendix.    It  i» 


those  vrho  took  a 
beginning,  it  may 
'  in  the  following 

4At  the  annual 
Newfoundland,  aij  J 
of  the  Treasurerj 


lie  stockholders  of  the  Ne*r-York, 
legraph  Company,  held  at  the  offlc€« 
luth  street,  in  the  city  of  l^ew-York^ 
this  6th  day  of  May,  1887,  the  foUowittg  resolution  was.  oil  mo- 
tion  of  Mr.  Moses  Taylor,  seconded  by  Mr.  Wilson  a.  Hunt, 
uQanimously  adopted:  ' 

Whereas,  This  CJompany  was  ihe  first  eyer  formed  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  an  Atlantic  Telegraph;  an  ente||)rise  upon  which 
It  started  in  the  beginni^g  of  1834,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Cyrus 
W.  Field,  and  which,  through  his  wise  and  unwearied  energy, 
acting  upon  this  Company,  and  others  afterwards  formed  in  con- 
nection with  it,  has  been  successfully  accomplished :  Therefore 
the  stockholders  of  this  Company,  at  this  their  first  meeting 
since  the  completion  of  the  ent^rise,  desiring  to  testify  their 
sense  of  Mr.  Field's  services  : 

Resolve:  First— That  to  him  more  than  any  other  man,  the 
world  is  indebted  for  this  magnificent  i^fiteent  of  good;'  and 
but  for  him  it  would  not,  in  aU  probabili^^now  in  existence; 

Second— That  the  thanks  of  the  stockholders  of  this  Company 
Me  hereby  given  to  Mr.  Field,  for  these  serviiSes,  which,  thou^ 
BO  great  in  themselves,  and  so  valuable  to  this  Company,  we^e 
rendered. without  any  remuneration;  and  .  . 

Third— That  a  copy  of  this  resolution,  certified  by  the  Chair- 
man  and  Secpetaiy  of  this  meeting,  be  deUvered  to  Mr.  Field 
(ts  a  recognition,  fay  those  who  best  know,  of  hla  just  right  to 
be  always  regarded  as  the  first  projector,  abd  most  persisten* 
and  efficient  promoter,  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph. 

.*  ,    W  I  Peteb  Coombr,  Chairman., 


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ANGLO-AMERICAN  TELEGRAPH  COMPANY, 


>♦«■ 


DIBECTOBe. 

Charles  E.  Stewart,  Esq.,  102  Lancaster  Gate,  Hyde  Park,  Chaiiman 

Francis  A.  Sevan,  Esq.,  54  Lombard  Street. 

Henrj  Bewley,  Esq.,  Willow  Park,  Dublin.  ' 

Edward  Cropper,  Ebq.,  Swaylands,  Penshurst. 

Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Gramercy  Park,  New'-York. 

Sir  Ricliard  Atwood  Glass,  Ashurst;  Dorkin^r.  '     '  ' 

Sir  Daniel  Gooch,  Bart.,  M.P.,  Cle^r  Park,  Windsor. 

Captain  A.  T.  Hamilton,  13  Bolton  Row,  Piccadilly. 

J.  R.  McLean,  Esq.,  C.E.,  23  QreatJ»eorge  Street,  Westminster. 

BANKEHS.      ,'^ 

Messrs.  Barclay,  Bevan,  Tritton,  Twells  &  Co.,  London. 

80LICITOB8., 

Messrs.  Bircham,  DaJrymple,  Drake  &  Ward. 
Messrs.  Baxter,  Rose,  Norton  &  Co.  •       • 

SECBETABT. 

»  John  C.  Deane,  Esq. 


NEW-YORK,    NEWFOUNDLAND,    AND   LONDON 
TELEGRAPH  COMPANY. 


Peter  Cooper,  Esq., President 

Cyrus  W.  Keld,  Esq., Vice-Prmdent. 

Moses  Taylor,  Esq.,. .' .' Treasurer. 

Prof.  S.  P.  B.  Morse, Electrician. 

David  Dudley  Field,  Esq., Counsel.^ 


DtBECTOBS, 

Peter  Cooj^r,  Esq., 
Moses  Taylor,  Esq., 
CjTXiB  W.  Field,  Esq., 
Marshall  O.  Roberts,  Esq., 
Wilson  Q.  Hunt,  Esq., 


•  New-York. 


8BCBETABT. 

Edward  Eavanagh,  Esq, 

OEKEBAIi  BUPEBINTBNDENT. 


-Al«uader  M,  ^fookny,  Ba^.,  St.  John^TTewfotmdli^ 


n« 


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pu'rara  Cropper,  Esa  I      Captain  A  T  W„Z^:'  *'^" 

Sir  Edward  c^iaxTfiart.  jf^^  PtbodyX  "' 

HOx\ORARr  DIRECTORS  TV  ^^^P^^^^'^'Esq. 

f.M.Arcluba^2r^„V5^  ™TED  STATES 

Wildh^ «  S®^*^' Esq.,     .  ■        •         New-York' 

.  Ho..^?otS.X..       •        •        •    •    •    fc?S- 

HONORARr  DIRECTORS   tat  '«     '        "         ^^^-^ork.' 
.   ,  '        ^^fi  Allan.  ^''''^^  ^  BRmsa  NORTH-AMERi?.. 
wSio^G^^^'^'^Esq..      •        •    fttreal.  Canada:"^^'^^- 
Thomic"^?'^^^      •    ■        SiSf'.^"^^'' Scotia. 

C0NSt7rTTivr«   o  '*"™*' -Npva  Scotia. 


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